Bonds
by Flipper Boid Skua
Summary: Bowser needs more soldiers, so he orders a raid on Koopa Village. Follow an unfortunate Paratroopa as he's kidnapped and forced to join the ranks. Will he be able to find a way back home or will he give in to his fate? Rated T for language and for being quite dark on some parts. R&R please!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. The occasional recurring character, Impacto, also belongs to a friend of mine, who goes by Mloun on deviantART.

This is my very first Mario fanfic and I'm so excited to be writing it! I've been having this story written on paper since my middle school years, but I couldn't really bring myself to submit it in all its inexperienced crappiness XD. Well, I've made some necessary changes without severely altering the plot and now I'm ready! :D Enjoy!

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><p><em>Prologue<em>

" 'Support your King. Join Bowser's Koopa Troop, or else...' Well, ain't that nice." a green-shelled Paratroopa muttered to his red-shelled counterpart, fluttering in front of the Daily News bulletin board. In front of them was an ad that was recently put up by a pair of Hammer Bros., who in turn stayed posted on either side of the board to make sure every passing Koopa saw the message. It was clear by the larger Koopas' irritated expressions that they thought they could be doing something better with their time, their negative attitudes made clearer when the red-shelled Paratroopa turned his attention to one of them.

"Does Bowser have anything specific in mind when he says 'or else'?" he asked with a joking grin. Not amused in the slightest, the regarded Hammer Bro. crossed his arms and glared hatefully at the sarcastic Koopa.

"Yeah, he meant that he'll tear off those wings of yours and barbeque them for dinner."

"That's pleasant. Thank you..." The green-shelled replied with another, almost-inaudible mutter. Covering his own sarcasm with a beam, he then nudged his companion as a signal that it was time to go. "We'll keep those rather threatening words in mind and we'll definitely consider joining the army." As the two Paratroopas fluttered off, the green-shelled rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. "As if _that_ will ever happen."

"How much do you think that job pays?" the red-shelled asked playfully, his comrade giving him a scolding look.

"Seriously, Pip? You're really considering that?"

"Not really, I'm just curious." Pip responded.

"Knowing that no-good tyrant, you'll probably be paid nothing."

"Yeah, you probably right." Seeing his accomplice was still looking bothered, he laughed and gave the other Koopa a punch on the shoulder. "Lighten up, Flit. Nothing those _evil_ Koopas can do can make me choose them over family."

Hearing the reassuring words of his younger brother, Flit grinned and returned the punch-on-the-shoulder gesture, a little harder than necessary. "Race ya to the house!" Giving little time for reaction, his wings beat faster and he sped up ahead. Pip didn't bother wasting time to voice his protest at this unfair head-start; it'll only lose precious time! Forcing his wings to go as fast as they could, he chased after his brother towards their home. He had no chance of winning fairly, he knew. His brother always won whatever contest they engaged in. So he developed something to at least give him a chance.

Turning off course, he flew for a shortcut he often took advantage of whenever his mother got him to do errands. He only had a short time; Koopa Village was not a very large community and who knows how far his brother has gotten! He just hoped this little cheat will work.

"Hey!" Flit exclaimed as his younger sibling zoomed in and cut him off. That little cheater! Putting more 'umph' into his own wings, he tried to overtake his brother, just as the house came into view. Certain of his victory, Pip closed his eyes and dove for the usually-open door...

**CRASH! THUD! CRASH! BOOM!**

Jumping in startlement, Mrs. Paratroopa rushed to the door and opened it, blinking as she looked down at her two groaning sons.

"The door was closed..." Flit mumbled dazedly.

"Why was it closed...?" Pip added in his own stunned state.

"I'm sorry, boys." Mrs. Paratroopa said with a sheepish smile as she helped her soon recovering offspring get back to their shaky feet. "I closed the door due to our... 'out-of-town visitors'."

"Fair enough..." both boys responded as they stumbled inside the house, rubbing the bumps on their heads tenderly. Watching their mom walk off to grab some ice packs for them, the two teenage Koopas flopped onto the couch, shoving each other a bit for some comfortable room. When their mother returned and placed the ice packs on each her children's heads, they noticed she looked rather bothered.

"Mom, what's up?" Flit asked in concern, wincing a bit as he shifted his cold pack more securely.

"Nothing." she answered, glancing towards the window. "Just worried."

"About what?" Pip inquired in turn, wondering what would get their usually mellow and laid-back mother all riled up. It made him and his brother worry, naturally protective of their parent. They watched as their mother moved closer to the window, staring in the general direction of the Daily News bulletin. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, she answered, the feathers on her wings fluffing up a bit in some kind of aggravation.

"About those Hammer Bro. ruffians. No good can come when King Koopa's soldiers pays a visit to this little village."

Hearing the cause for her concern, Pip and Flit put on their most reassuring smiles.

"It'll be alright, Mom. They'll be gone soon." Flit started.

"Yeah. There's nothing to worry about. I mean, what's the worst they can do?" Pip added. Mrs. Paratroopa hesitated, still staring out the window before looking to her sons. It took a good long moment for her to override her caution enough to take her children's words into consideration. Although she'd like to believe them, her instincts told her that things were not to be taken so lightly.

The two boys certainly said nothing about the threatening words told to them earlier. No need to add fuel to their mother's paranoia. Surely, the 'or else' part of the ad was just a bluff...

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><p>"King Bowser is not going to be pleased." Impacto muttered to his companion as they watched yet another group of nervous Koopa Troopas retreat from the bulletin board. Eyes scanning the nearby houses, they saw other Koopas locking up their homes and some fearfully glancing at them from their windows. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that this village was panicked of their presence and that none of them was interested in helping their terrifying king.<p>

"Well, what could he expect when he sends us to this village of cowards?" Crash responded, crossing his arms. "We don't call these Koopa's traitors for nothing."

For it was common knowledge that not all Koopas believed in what their king was doing and that they left Bowser's kingdom to set up their own village. They mostly kept to themselves, but when the situation called for it, they would always side with the enemy: the residents of the Mushroom Kingdom. Heck, this same village have assisted that no-good plumber, Mario, in some of his adventures. It made them, and a lot of the other Bowser-loyal Koopas, sick. This village was lucky nothing bad happened to it...yet.

Bowser has been getting impatient with this small community as of late. He needed more soldiers, more followers to fight and defend against those two mustached humans. This must've been the tenth time these past few months that visits had been made to Koopa Village to try and sway the opinions of the town-goers. As usual, it wasn't working. Fine, let the locals learn the hard way...

"They've been warned. Let's go."

As the lights of the town dimmed out, the two Hammer Bros. left their post to return to the castle with the news. They had stayed for as long as three days as ordered, with nothing to show for it in the end. The villagers probably thought the threatening 'or else' in the ad was a bluff. Knowing their king, this little settlement will regret calling that bluff by morning.

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><p>There's the prologue to get things started. Seems like things are going to start going downhill fast. Those poor little Koopas. I hope you guys like this chapter! Cheers! :)<p> 


	2. Or Else

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

Anyway, so sorry about the wait; I wasn't really feeling motivated, but now I am! I think this'll be my next big project and its completion is my main goal! :D

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><p><em>Chapter<em> _1_

Casted in the orange glow of the lava flow circling its structure, the towering castle stood silhouetted in the full moon's glow. To many, this ominous sight would be enough to dissuade them from going any closer, lest their lives be cut a bit shorter than nature intended. But to a couple of Hammer Bros., it was a beacon and they were drawn to it like a moth to a light-bulb. After several hours of walking, it was good to be back home. Crossing over the wooden bridge that was the only thing between them and death by molten lava, Crash and Impacto wandered nonchalantly to the Fire Bro. guards, Pyro and Inferno.

Grinning at the safe return of the duo, Pyro was quick to ask the question everyone in the castle will be keen to know. "How did it go?"

"A complete waste of time, as expected." Impacto answered in a mutter, feeling more than a little tired from the journey back.

"I don't even know why King Bowser bothers to try." Crash added, also aggravated that their efforts had been for nothing.

"You can try asking him that," Inferno told him jokingly, nodding back towards the castle entrance. "He's waiting for you two to report in the throne room. Good luck."

With that, the two Fire Bros. stepped aside to let their fellow soldiers pass and the two Koopas wasted no time in entering the castle and wandering through the dark corridors towards the throne room. It was very late and there wasn't much lighting to show them the way, but when one spent nearly their entire lives within these walls, one got to know their way around by pure memory. After several minutes of wandering expertly down one pathway to another, a light shone through a large door into the hall and the two Hammer Bros. quickly hurried towards it.

Entering the massive and gloriously decorated chamber, Crash and Impacto winced and took a moment to let their eyes adjust before heading closer to the throne facing the center of the room. Seated in the large luxurious chair was Bowser, his head resting in a clawed hand...asleep...

Glancing at each other, both seemed rather reluctant to wake their king, not knowing how he'll react. Who knows, doing such a thing could end with them running about screaming with their tails on fire. Deciding to take the risk, Crash cleared his throat in a loud and obvious fashion. This got Bowser to wake up, mid-snore, and his red eyes glared about the room quickly before landing on the two Hammer Bros. To the smaller turtles' relief, he didn't spew fire at them and instead he snorted with a dark growl.

"About time!" At this, both of the subordinate Koopas kept from rolling their eyes; they were perfectly on schedule…. But neither of them was particularly willing to correct their king on the matter. "I've been having nightmares about babysitting my kids, so I better hear some good news for once!"

Again, the Hammer Bros. exchanged looks, knowing that such good news didn't exist. Inwardly hoping he wasn't going to regret this, Impacto took it upon himself to break the news.

"Sorry to say, sir, but they all thought you were bluffing with the 'or else' part."

"Bluffing?!" Bowser started to roar after a brief moment of silence, smoke coming from his nostrils. "**B****luffing**?!" Claws clenching into fists, the King of Koopas snarled heavily at the thought of not being taken seriously. Why, those impudent little… Forcing himself to calm down before he destroyed something for the millionth time, Bowser took a deep breath and the two Hammer Bros. braced themselves for the beating they knew their ears were about to endure. "ALL SOLDIERS OF THE KOOPA TROOP, WAKE YOUR LAZY CORPSES UP AND REPORT TO ME AT ONCE!"

That announcement over, Crash and Impacto forced themselves to relax, shaking their heads to rid the ringing sound in their ears. Even when they were ready for it, Bowser's roars never got any better to hear at such close range. Watching as their king leaned back on his throne, they both straightened as Bowser returned his attention to them.

"We'll be launching a raid on that village as soon as dawn breaks. Impacto, get ready. Crash," He turned to said Hammer Bro. "do you think you can handle this _without_ killing anybody?"

This surprised Crash; normally, he had to sit out on missions like this with no say in it at all, not that he couldn't understand why. Bowser's main goal was to gain more soldiers and in most cases, those soldiers were best received alive... Something Crash wasn't particularly good at doing on his own accord. Blood-filled memories of that one fateful raid five years ago rose before his mind's eye and his fists tightened. Unable to lie to his king, he answered with his own growl.

"No, sir. I can control myself in many situations, but a raid is simply too much to ask for. Death on both sides will be guaranteed…"

"Very well," Bowser grunted. "You're relieved for the night, but I expect you to report to me early tomorrow," -At this point, he gave a dark grin- "With all the new recruits we'll have, I'll be giving you plenty of new assignments."

At this ominous promise, Crash only responded with a dark smirk of his own.

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><p>Waking up early wasn't something Pip had a particularly difficult time with. Typically, he would wake up at regular intervals during the night, and this one was no exception. It was strange though; unlike all the other nights, he felt a sense of unease. Must be from the presence of Bowser's soldiers and his body's just now reacting to the potential threat. A bit late, isn't it? News already spread that the Hammer Bros. had left.<p>

Well, didn't matter. They're gone and he had a bright day to look forward to! Already, he was thinking of a potential prank to pull on his brother this morning, just to trick him into believing he was late for school. That'll be revenge for the time Flit put a dead fish into Pip's room; it took DAYS to get rid of the smell...

Peeking out his shell, he uncurled his limbs from within its warm and comforting confines and yawned with a stretch. Immediately after, he rolled over onto his shell and flopped his head into his pillow, too lazy and unwilling to get out of bed. Eh, the prank can wait. It was Saturday and dang it, he was going to enjoy it by sleeping in! The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, beginning to wash over everything within reach in a warm glow. Through his open window, Pip could smell the morning dew littering the grass and the soft breeze blowing over the landscape.

Such peaceful scents was all that was needed to send him back into the blissful darkness of sleep...

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

At least until _that_ rang through the morning air, darting passed his window and entering unpleasantly into his ears. Jerking up, he blinked dazedly, taking a moment to snap out of it before standing on his bed to peek through the window and find out what exactly is going on! He only needed a split-second's worth of comprehension to see the village full of Koopa strangers swarming the pathways, kicking down doors, and...

Pip's eyes widened as he saw his own neighbor getting dragged out of his house, limbs bounded in ropes to ensure his thrashes proved meaningless. What in the world...? Instantly, the 'or else' part of the ad and the Hammer Bro.'s threatening words arose in his mind. It was Bowser's Koopa Troop, coming to get their new recruits! Oh boy...

Suddenly, his bedroom door exploded with heavy knocks and Pip visibly jumped before snapping towards his room's entrance, heart pounding at the possibility of it being an intruder. But luckily, it was Flit's voice that shouted from other side.

"Dude, get out of bed! We have to get Mom outta here!"

"I'm up!" Pip assured as he flew quickly to his door and swung it open. Before he could properly react, his older brother grabbed his arm and hurried towards their mother's room, crossing the living room and reaching for the handle when-

The main doorway ripped from its hinges as a storm of Koopa Troopas slammed into it and they glanced around the house before their collective eyes settled on the two young Paratroopas. Pip and Flit was certainly startled, but instincts have taken hold of their body and they knew they had to react fast. Without a word, Flit pushed his sibling closer to their mother's door, giving the silent order to get her to safety. Pip understood and yanked the door open, darting inside as fast as his wings could carry him. As he was doing that, his older brother withdrew into his shell and launched himself at the invaders, stalling them in the name protecting his family.

"Mom!" Pip yelled as he landed at his parent's bed. Gripping the blankets in such a tight hold that the scales on her knuckles were turning white, Mrs. Paratroopa appeared dazed in her terror and it took her son grabbing her arm to snap her out of it. "C'mon, Mom! Get up!"

The eldest Koopa needed no more prompting. Getting her old wings to work, she fluttered alongside her son as they tried to sneak out the back through the kitchen, the distracted mother gaining enough of her senses to ask a very important question: "Where's Flit?"

"I'll get him! Just go!" Pip answered, opening the door to find more enemy Koopas. Luckily, they were preoccupied with other hostages and Pip scanned the skies for Paratroopa and Lakitu enemies. None were in sight and he gave his mother a prompting push. "Fly, Mom! Get outta here!"

Mrs. Paratroopa was extremely reluctant to go anywhere without her children, but when she looked back, Pip was gone. Running through the kitchen back into the living room, Pip saw that the place looked trashed, but there was no sign of Flit or the invaders. Where-? Hearing racket outside the main door, the young Koopa hurried to find himself confronted with a terrifying sight. His struggling brother was being dragged off by an enemy Koopa Troopa, his limbs and wings all tied up. Feeling an instinct unlike any he's felt before, Pip felt a growl rise in his throat and he took off straight towards the enemy Koopa, withdrawing into his shell at the last second.

The Koopa Troopa certainly didn't know what hit him as he felt the impact and fell forward, stunned. Wasting no time, Pip shot back out of his shell and kneeled by his brother.

"What about Mom?!" Flit asked frantically as his younger sibling bit through the ropes binding him.

"Well, I couldn't leave you!" Pip answered back, feeling a massive pressure to keep both his family members safe. "And she's fine! I told her to fly! Besides," He casted a glance around, taking note of something. "I don't think they'd be interested in taking her."

Indeed, he saw that all the hostages that Bowser's soldiers were taking were young males, so it was reasonable that their fairly elderly mother would be safe from their attention. That was something of a relief, although Pip knew that he and his brother would still be in big trouble. Looking up at the sky, he saw that the aerial enemies were now making their appearance, Paratroopas swooping in low to grab unsuspecting Koopas and Lakitus throwing their infamous collection of Spinies. The sky wasn't safe for them, but neither was the ground. To Pip's growing horror, he saw several Fire Bros. set some houses alight, no doubt trying to drive out the residents and possibly carrying out some retaliation on Bowser's behalf.

The fire quickly spreading throughout the village, Pip's ears was filled with the panicked screams of his neighbors and he felt Flit pull his arm in a gesture of retreat. Yes, the sky was unsafe, but it was the only option they had. Spreading their wings, they both took off, avoiding the fire's smoke as best they could. But it was of no use, for a _whoosh-_ing sound sped past Pip's left wing. Yelping in startlement, Pip was about to give warning to Flit when another whizzing object, -a hammer, he realized-, smashed into his brother's wing.

Crying out in pain, Flit felt his flight falter and he fell towards the ground.

"FLIT!" Pip called out, swooping to catch his brother, only to veer on reflex when another hammer narrowly missed his head. In pure and utter horror, Pip watched his brother make a crash-landing into the ground and before he could land to help, a Hammer Bro. sped over with ropes ready to retake the Paratroopa hostage. Once more feeling the protective instinct rushing over him, Pip sped down as fast as his wings would allow. The Hammer Bro. was a much larger Koopa than he was, and so it would be wise to avoid a direct confrontation. So the young teenager settled for the dive-bombing technique, hoping to distract the enemy long enough for Flit to recover and escape.

It seemed to work, as the Hammer Bro. jumped back a bit to avoid the first dive-bomb and glaring at the defiant Paratroopa, he had little choice but to keep his attention on avoiding the aerial assault he now found himself in.

Seeing what his younger brother was doing, Flit immediately tried to stand up, only to feel pain explode from his ankle, adding to the agony that his broken wing produced. Sucking in air from his beak, he tried again before he felt hands grab him. He was about to bite said hands in defense, thinking they were from an enemy Koopa, only to look up and see his mother. Allowing her to support him, he hobbled as fast as he could, knowing his brother was safe and knew what he was doing...

Pip spotted his family making as fast a run for it as they could and he felt a wave of relief pass through him. They did it! Well, technically they had a ways to go to get safely out of the village, but at least they were out of immediate danger, so long as the other Koopas didn't notice them. But in his distraction of watching his mother and sibling retreat, he wasn't paying attention to the Hammer Bro. he was harassing and a solid and powerful impact slammed into his gut. Even his under-shell did little to soften the blow.

The air knocked right out of his lungs, the stunned Paratroopa fell to the ground, barely managing a grunt when he hit the unforgiving dirt and trying in vain to restore the air in his lungs. Feeling a strong grip yank his arms behind his back and ropes binding them together, he knew the Hammer Bro. had won this battle. The breathless adolescent couldn't even call out for his family's help, for all that came out was a wheezing squeak. Feeling a tug on his wings, he knew they too were being bound and he could do nothing as the Hammer Bro. pulled him to his unsteady feet and practically dragged him away.

Away from his village...

Away from his family...

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><p>Oh, noes! Pip has been caught! D: What awaits him now? Find out in the next chapter, which I'm starting on right this minute actually! :) Don't forget to review too, if you can find the time! Reviews are very much appreciated!<p> 


	3. First Impression

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

Wow, this came out quick! Special thanks to **Moley Koopa** (good to hear from ya again, buddy!), **BritishWaffleSyrup** (I love your pen-name!), **kookylover98** (I love your avatar!), **FrittzyCrazy** (I love your pen-name too!), and **Elemental Queen** (I'm surprised you're still interested in this story! Awesome!) for taking the time to review and with such eager enthusiasm! I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter! :D

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><p><em>Chapter 2<em>

"The raid was a complete success, sir! We've gotten as many recruits as we could carry!" a Lakitu gave the news to his King, grinning ear-to-ear in excitement to be the carrier of the increasingly rare phenomenon of good news. And hearing such a thing for once certainly put Bowser in a comparatively decent mood and a look of satisfaction crossed his facial features as he stood from his throne.

"Excellent," he snickered. "And what of the rest of the village?"

"As ordered, your Highness, the village is in shambles and the remaining residents were forced to retreat elsewhere." The Lakitu answered matter-of-factly, and the Koopa King let out a brief burst of laughter, unable to help himself knowing that revenge have gone so well according to plan.

"Even better. Perhaps now they'll give me the proper respect that I deserve." Carrying on to business, he put on a stern face as he crossed his arms. "Now where are my new recruits?"

"On their way, sir," –There was a knock on the throne room door- "Nevermind. They're here."

Practically on cue, the door opened and a whole swarm of Koopas entered the immense chamber, each dragging or carrying a terrified young Koopa ranging from practical hatchlings to young adults. Knowing the drill well as they've been through this many times before, each member of the Koopa Troop army began forming neat horizontal rows, their individual captives held in front of them in display. Bowser growled in amusement at the terrified looks he was getting from the unwilling recruits and to his greater delight, the fear intensified when he spoke.

"Welcome to your new home, recruits. You all should know very well who I am, but for those of you living your pathetic lives under a rock, I am King Bowser Koopa and your new boss from this day forward." He allowed his eyes to sweep over the sea of scales that was his audience and he began pacing back and forth between one end of the first row to the other as he continued his speech. "Every one of you has been selectively 'chosen' to join my army and to serve under my rule. Let me just cut to the chase here: cooperate and meld yourselves well into my Koopa Troop, and we won't have any troubles. If you resist, I'll make every effort neccessary to break you and trust me, it _will_ be a painful process," He held in a chuckle at the whimpers that rose from the general audience. "With that in mind, I hope you all have trouble settling in. Now..."

He trailed off as he approach the first Koopa in the first row, seeing what his Koopa Troop had to offer him. This first one seemed promising as it was a baby Koopa Troopa held in the arms of an adult Koopa Troopa soldier. Bowser grinned at the sight. "Isn't that adorable?" he muttered in a slightly mocking tone before turning his attention to his soldier. "Are you willing to raise this hatchling under our ways?"

It wasn't really a question as the Koopa Troopa knew he essentially had no choice in the matter. Holding in a sigh, he gave a nod. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Make it happen." With that, the Koopa bowed his head a bit before he hurried off with the baby and Bowser stepped to the next Koopa in line.

Meanwhile, Pip watched fearfully as the giant, menacing-looking King came ever closer down the line. Every instinct in his body told him to fly, but it was made completely useless by the rope bindings still tied around his limbs. He most certainly didn't wanna be here and if he can just get free of this Hammer Bro. and wriggle his wings loose, then maybe he can make a break for it. It was a doomed plan, he knew, as he would be caught in an instant by the multitude of enemy Koopas here, but at least it was something! Wriggling and tugging, he struggled as best he could in his rope bondage, but he wasn't doing anything more than annoy his captor. With a grunt, he was easily pushed to his knees and he glared over his wing at his kidnapper, who glared right back.

Feeling the vibration of steps coming closer, Pip froze with fear as Bowser finally walked over to him and he quickly tried to gather his composure as he looked up with narrowed eyes and a sneer, attempting to hide his utter terror through typical adolescent defiance. This got a grunt from the King, who has seen it all before and wasn't the least bit bothered by this 'attitude', and the giant Koopa looked to the Hammer Bro. with amusement.

"Odd how you caught a Paratroopa, Impacto. Does this mean you're finally warming up to them?" he asked as a joke, to which Impacto shook his head without hesitation, glaring at his captive.

"No, sir. This one was trouble from the start..." It was true. Pip had made _every_ point possible about making _nothing_ easy the _entire_ trip here. Damn it, if he was going to be taken against his will, he wasn't going to take it with drooping wings and a tucked tail! And begrudgingly, Pip had to give credit where credit was due: this Impacto guy had a surprising amount of patience not to bash him over the head with a hammer, especially since he apparently didn't like Paratroopas... Although, Pip could tell he was close to doing so on several occasions...

"A trouble-maker, huh?" Bowser snickered before looking to the Paratroopa. "I look forward to seeing how long this one will last before breaking."

With that, Bowser went off to the next Koopa in line and Pip felt himself get tugged roughly back to his feet. Impacto then proceeded to drag Pip out of the room and down a dark and gloomy-looking hall. The Paratroopa growled the whole time, making failed efforts to plant his tied-up feet firmly to the ground. Stupid ropes...and why did Hammer Bros. have to be so strong anyway!? Mustering every bit of strength he had, he made as violent a thrash as he could pull off. This got him nowhere, but it did earn a snarl from his captor and they came to a halt, Impacto snapping at him for what could be the tenth time today.

"Oh, for cripe's sake, will you STOP with your useless struggling?!"

"Let me go, and I will!" Pip snapped back. This got a huff and heated glare from his captor, but luckily, no physical harm was going to come to him...yet. Without another word, -at least not in coherent English; Impacto apparently was quite fluent in Spanish-, the duo continued down the hall and Pip groaned in frustration at still being held captive. Well, nobody said escape would be easy... "Where are we going, anyway?"

"To the medical wing," Impacto grunted under his breath. "As soon as you get your physical exam done, I'm gonna lock you up and then you won't be _my_ responsibility anymore..."

"Gee, it's good to know how loved I am here..." Pip grumbled sarcastically with a roll of his eyes before his mind pondered his fate. Medical exam? Well, it made sense, he supposed. Keeping a record on him would be useful and he didn't think Bowser would appreciate a sick new 'recruit' spreading their germs all over the place... Although that usually means vaccinations, doesn't it? And blood samples? And don't both of those require needles? He tensed with a whimper. Needles...his biggest fear in the world. "Uh, yeah..." He started nervously, unable to hide his fear this time. "There's not gonna be shots, is there?"

"Why?" Impacto grumbled. "You hate shots?"

"Very much so, yes…" Pip was not ashamed to admit it. He remembered back when he was a hatchling; he never minded needles back then. He remembered how the doctor would prick his finger and then give him candy for being a good Koopa. Then that all changed when he was just a little fledgling. The details of his memory were vivid, although the reason for his first-ever freak out evaded him. Maybe it was because the procedure was different; maybe it was because the needle won't be pricking his finger this time; or maybe it was because the needle itself looked bigger than what he was used to.

Regardless of the reason, when he saw that he was gonna get a shot, he dashed out of there fast! He remembered fluttering as fast as his little wings can go and how close to the exit he got. Then, just as he was pushing the door to get outside, he got caught and was carried, beak and claw, back to the exam room. It took five doctors to pin him down and he remembered seeing the needle pierce the scales on his thigh…

He shuddered at the memory and if he wasn't tied up, he would've rubbed the spot on his leg gingerly. Ever since then, he's been terrified of shots more than anything else in the world and if this place so much as shows him a needle, all hell can break loose.

Unfortunately, Impacto chose not to answer his question at all as he reached the end of the hall and shoved open the double-doors with a grunt. Both Koopas were greeted with a sterile white environment typical of a hospital. Pip glanced about to find that the doctors were Shy Guys. He's seen several Shy Guys before, at a distance, but this was his first time seeing them up close. They were weird looking, to say the least.

Walking up to a counter, Impacto knew the drill well and didn't bother talking to the Shy Guy behind said counter as he took a clip board and then proceeded to drag Pip to some chairs. He pushed the Paratroopa into a seat before sitting beside him, pulling out a pen.

"What's your name?" the Hammer Bro. muttered. Pip wondered whether he should share his real information, but figured there was no harm in sharing a name. Besides, what if he got hurt while here? These things could help save his life or something.

"Pip Perry Paratroopa." He muttered softly, feeling slight embarrassment in his name. He couldn't help it; both his first and middle name was stupid in his opinion. Fortunately, Impacto didn't seem to care as he wrote down that bit of info before writing in the obvious parts, like Species, Sex, and Shell Color. As for the more ambiguous ones…

"Blood-type?"

Pip shrugged, feeling genuinely clueless. "No idea. I usually don't fill these things out…" Impacto grunted before leaving the space blank, a slight smirk creeping along the edges of his beak. After all, if the Paratroopa didn't know, then the doctors would have to figure it out for him… Finishing the papers to the best of both their knowledge, Impacto stood for a moment to return the paper to the counter before returning to his spot, waiting.

Luckily, neither of them had to wait long before a blue-garbed Shy Guy peeked out a door over to the right. "Mr. Pip Paratroopa?"

Impacto wasted no time getting the Paratroopa to his bound feet and dragging him towards the doctor. At this point, Pip was starting to feel like a ragdoll… Stupid Hammer Bro. … Leading the two Koopas to the examination room, the Shy Guy held the door open helpfully for them before following them in. Impacto hoisted the smaller Koopa up onto the table before wandering to the door and leaning against the wall, apparently standing guard. Pip wondered why such a thing would be needed before he felt the Shy Guy undo his restraints.

Feeling blood-flow in his hands, feet, and wings again, the young Paratroopa felt the powerful urge to run for the door, but he knew better, especially with his captor fiddling boredly, and yet threateningly, with a hammer. So instead, he sat up and rubbed his wrists tenderly, watching the Shy Guy carefully in case he was hiding a needle somewhere in that ridiculous outfit.

"So you're one of the new recruits?" the Guy asked as he prepared the stethoscope that was resting around his neck. Pip blinked at this thing's strange voice before nodding begrudgingly.

"Unfortunately." He grumbled as the Guy placed the cold disc to his chest to listen to his heart and lungs.

"You'll get used to it," the doctor responded in a cheery, laid-back tone as he put away the stethoscope and checked the Paratroopa's eyes. "This isn't too bad a place, y'know."

"Yeah, right." Pip hissed, crossing his arms before giving a surprised cry as the Shy Guy unexpectedly pried open his beak.

"Eh, you'll turn around once you see your first paycheck." Doc chirped as he examined the inside of the young Koopa's mouth quickly before letting go and moving to check his wings' condition, performing these tasks quickly and expertly. Pip chewed a bit, rubbing his cheek as his eyes widened in startlement at the doctor's words.

"Wait, you guys get paid?" he couldn't help but ask in his surprise. It didn't change the subject of his overall hostility, but it was still unexpected regardless.

"Of course we get paid," Impacto answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I wouldn't bother dealing with annoying Koopas like you if I wasn't."

"And the best thing is, your food and housing's already taken care of, so the money you make can be used for pleasure spending." The Shy Guy continued as he finished with the wing exam and then proceeded taking the youngster's blood pressure.

"Well, that doesn't change the fact that you're basically slaves with wages," Pip sneered, ignoring the tightening device around his arm. "Don't you guys have to follow Bowser's orders to a T or risk getting punished or something?"

At this, there was a pause and the Shy Guy glanced over at Impacto before answering. "Yeah, but it's still a good deal. Besides, _most_ of the Koopas here follow King Bowser out of loyalty rather than fear or money. This might surprise you, kiddo, but King Koopa's done a lot to save our butts multiple times. Most of them just aren't made public," He removed the device from Pip's arm and took out the papers the two were filling out earlier, looking through them as he continued. "Just give him his due respect and you'll find he's not that bad a leader."

Pip rolled his eyes with a doubtful scoff. He knew what these guys were doing; they were trying to make it seem like it's not a big deal, but it's all probably just some brainwashing technique. They were just trying to convince him to their side of thinking. Well, they're going to find that this Paratroopa wasn't to be so easily fooled. All his life, he's been told that Bowser was just a greedy, bloodthirsty monster and so far, nothing he's seen suggested otherwise.

There was silence in the room as the Guy flipped through the papers before noticing something. "The Blood-type section was left blank."

"Yeah," Impacto spoke up. "The kid didn't know, so I figured you would find out for him." An amused smirk came to his face and the Guy grunted, putting down the papers and wandering towards the drawers. All the while, Pip was watching warily, having a feeling that something bad was on its way now that they were on the subject.

"We're on a bit of a tight schedule today, so we'll postpone your vaccinations," Doc stated and at this, the young Paratroopa felt a strange mixture of relief and dread. No vaccination shots, but does that mean- "Close your eyes, bud, you might feel a slight pinch."

Pip froze with a whimper. He knew exactly what those words meant and an oh-so-familiar terror washed over him, a terror that was actually worse than the one during the raid, and also worse than his fear of seeing Bowser for the first time. No, this one has been firmly planted and NOTHING was going to remove it, EVER!

So, in a typical Paratroopa reaction, he screamed and took off, almost braining himself on the ceiling as he fluttered about in a panic. "SHOTS! NEEDLES! KEEP IT AWAY FROM ME!"

"Hey, calm down!" the Doctor shouted helplessly from the ground. "It'll just be for a few seconds, and it's not gonna hurt _that_ much!"

Pip knew very well that the pain of an actual shot wasn't bad at all, and it certainly didn't warrant this kind of reaction. But that did little to negate the fear and the whimpering Koopa swooped for the door, uncaring if there was a Hammer Bro. standing guard. He wanted out! Unfortunately, to nobody's surprise, he wasn't going to escape that easily and Impacto tackled him to the ground, holding the struggling Koopa down as Doc hurried over to get the blood sample. And Pip was still screaming.

"NO! SHOTS! SHOTSSHOTSSHOTSSHOTS**SHOTS**!" He was about to bite the hands that held him before the door swung open and hit Impacto, forcing him to let go in his startled burst of pain. A bunch of Shy Guys were crowding the doorway, alarmed at the noises coming from this room, and Pip knew he had to get away from them before they got the sense to pin him down too. So he took off again in the opposite direction, still shrieking at the top of his lungs.

Throwing himself towards a locker, he squeezed into the nice safe comfort within the space between the locker-top and ceiling, his wide and dilated eyes darting from one part of the room to another, as if paranoid more enemies will show up with needles! Below was chaos as the newly arrived Shy Guys began talking over one another as to what was going on. Finally, Doc managed to raise his voice above all the ruckus.

"Everything's fine! I'm just trying to get a blood sample from an unruly patient, is all…" 'Unruly' was a huge understatement and he looked up at the shivering bundle of shell perched above them, wondering how to get this done.

"Anyone have a tranquilizer gun?" one Shy Guy muttered before Doc glared at him.

"Yeah, let's dart the needle-phobic Koopa. I'm sure that'll help," he said sarcastically before shaking his head. "Besides, unless we get animal control, we don't have a tranq gun."

"Then let's call the animal control…" another Shy Guy muttered, prompting a face-palm from Doc.

"Alright, alright, fine," the blue-garbed Shy Guy grumbled, willing to make use of a certain point in their suggestions. Turning to face them, he whispered softly so Pip would be unaware of the plan. "We'll give him a small amount of general anesthesia. Enough to calm him down, but not enough to knock him out and endanger him."

The others nodded before they looked up at the Paratroopa. "Only," one of them started. "How're we going to get him down?"

Before anyone could answer, Impacto decided to help out in that department, as he felt it was his fault to some extent. He knew the Paratroopa hated shots and he thought it would be fun to watch the panic; however, he didn't know it would be _this_ bad! He owed it to the Shy Guys for not giving them warning. Tossing a hammer at the smaller Koopa, he purposely missed him and ended up hitting the locker instead. Pip jumped at the unexpected hammer toss and the loud noise of the locker, and by pure reflex, he took off again. The Hammer Bro. quickly took a second to measure the distance to the airborne Paratroopa and to predict the panicked Koopa's course...

Within the confines of the room, Pip couldn't go very high and he was perfectly within jumping range, so Impacto leapt and tackled him to the ground, pinning him down again. Pip blindly struggled with everything he had, but there was to be no escape this time. The Shy Guys quickly prepped the sedative gas as Doc hurried over with the hopes of getting the blood without having to use the gas. Unfortunately, it proved useless as Pip still had enough sense to avoid the needle, kicking it out of Doc's hold and trying to bite anything that got into range.

Finally ready, one of the Shy Guys dashed over with the mask and pressed it onto the Koopa's muzzle, his other hand keeping the youngster from pulling away and retreating his head into his shell. Pip squawked and warbled in a Paratroopa distress cry, still struggling under the larger Koopa's hold and trying to pry the mask away. Unfortunately, more Shy Guys came over to pin his arms down as well and the restrained Koopa could do nothing but thrash in vain as the gas was turned on.

Pip whimpered as he felt his struggles begin to die down against his will and he began feeling very sleepy. His cries softening to incoherent grumbling sounds, he finally went limp as he bordered unconsciousness and his foggy mind hardly comprehended the prick of the needle in his arm. It was done and Doc sighed in relief, everyone around him finally relaxing.

"I think we should give him his vaccines now. We certainly don't wanna go through this again." He muttered, earning nods of agreement from his fellows. So those shots were given with no hesitation and within moments, the mask was finally removed. Pip hardly comprehended any of it, barely able to keep his eyes open and he was still limp as Impacto let him go and nudged him with a foot.

"How long's he gonna be like this?" he asked. Doc gave a shrug, too tired to come up with too specific an answer.

"Not too long; probably about 30 minutes. That should be enough time for you to take him to his new room without having to tie him up again." He answered, shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

"That's good…" Impacto grumbled, not knowing if he could handle another difficult journey with an uncooperative Koopa. Grabbing hold of the drugged Paratroopa, he hoisted him over his shoulder and walked out the door. With the departure of the duo, Doc quickly went over to the locker and began gathering his stuff, much to his fellows' confusion.

"Hey, whaddya doing? Your shift's not over yet." One of the piped up as Doc swung on a backpack and began walking for the door, answering as he did so.

"I'm gonna ask King Bowser about the chances of retiring early…"

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><p>*shudders* Shots... And why is it that everytime I read Shy Guy dialogues, I hear them in some sort of Christopher Walken-ish voice. I blame youtube's <em>Bowser's Kingdom<em>! XD Anywho, I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter and will review! *hugs*


	4. Kops

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

Yayz! Another chapter! And yet more special thanks to **Moley Koopa**, **Elemental Queen,** **BritishWaffleSyrup**, **kookylover98**, and **Spike Brigadier** for reviewing!

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><p><em>Chapter 3<em>

Everything in his mind was just an incoherent, nonsensical blur for a moment. Where was he? Opening his eyes, he saw that it was a pretty glum and blurry place, lit only by the sunlight flooding in from the small barred window above him. Lifting his head from the strangely soft ground, he squinted a bit before his vision slowly began clearing on its own to reveal his surroundings in better clarity. He was in a small, closed off space, covered in dust and cobwebs, with a large wooden doorway blocking him from the rest of the castle. And he found, with a dazed look downwards, that he was lying on a soft bunk. Well, that explained why the ground felt so weird.

Snapping out of his slow state of recovery with a few shakes of his head, within seconds he was once more bright-eyed and bushy-winged as he sat up on his new bed, now comprehending where he was. He was in a dungeon! How did...? Within an instant, he remembered everything in a flood. The doctors, the panic. Then they pressed something on his face and everything didn't make sense after that; it was all just fuzzy images and blabbering voices around him. Now he was 'waking up' here. Looks like Impacto really meant it when he said he was going to lock him up.

Now how to get out...

But before he could even stand to explore, the door open and in stepped a green-shelled Koopa Troopa, glancing about before his eyes settled on him. Pip glared back before looking towards the door. He was making no effort to hide his intentions to escape, let the whole castle know for all he cared. But however way he was going to get out, it wasn't going to be through that door as the Koopa Troopa closed it without a second thought on the matter, resulting in a small growl from the younger Koopa before the all-important question was asked to the stranger.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Kops. King Koopa ordered _me_ to keep an eye on you." the Koopa Troopa answered and Pip rolled his eyes at both the fact that he was having a babysitter and from the fact that having one at this moment was totally unnecessary.

"Well, I'm cooped up in here, so how much trouble could I possibly get into?" At this, the Koopa Troopa chuckled in an amusement Pip couldn't understand. What was so funny? Well, him apparently as Kops answered with a smirk.

"You honestly don't think you're gonna stay in here all day, do you? We have things to do and places to go, so get up." This confused the Paratroopa. So this wasn't his final destination for the day? Well, he supposed that as a 'recruit', he would be given something of value to do around here and why not start as early as possible? Plus, this could be a good opportunity to esca- "But don't bother thinking about escaping under my watch. If you make a break for it, every Koopa in this castle has the authority to use whatever force is needed to stop you."

Damn it, this Koopa Troopa knew what he was doing... So much for that. So with a groaning sigh, Pip hopped off the bed, feeling a bit queasy at the movement, but none the worse after his trauma-inducing experience. By instinct, he casted a glance at his arm to see gauze pressed against his new wound, tied with bandage. He could also feel other band-aids on his other arm and knew they were probably from the vaccines. Kops caught the glance and grinned, leading the Paratroopa out into the hallway as he spoke.

"Yeah, Impacto told me all about your little break-down earlier," At this, a look of embarrassment came to Pip's face and he tried not to look at his apparent escort. "Heard it was so bad, one of the Shy Guys actually quit. King Koopa's probably gonna wanna see you later about that."

"Goodie." Was all that Pip muttered before pushing aside his feeling of slight humiliation at getting such publicity. After all, what did he care what a bunch of evil Koopas thought about him? "Any particular place you're taking me?"

"Well, right now, I'm feeling hungry, so we're gonna grab a bite of brunch before carrying on," Kops answered, always keeping track of his charge from the corner of his eyes and noticing the perplexed look he was receiving. Nonchalantly placing his hands behind his head in a relaxed posture as he grinned, he could understand why, as the kid no doubt expected him to act a bit more hostile than this. "Hey, I'm gonna be showing you around anyway. I might as well start with the most important place in the castle!"

"Your nice guy act isn't working." Pip informed him bluntly, crossing his arms in further emphasis. Kops only glanced at him for a long moment before rolling his eyes.

"Or maybe it just hasn't occurred to you that this isn't an act and I'm just being genuine here, kid." He responded in a bit of an irritated tone. Unfortunately, the issue wasn't going to be dropped as Pip scoffed in bitter skepticism. Genuine, his tail…

"Please," he grunted. "Like I'm gonna believe anything an _evil_ Koopa like you says."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kops retorted with a warning glare. "I didn't know being in a good mood was outlawed for _loyal_ Koopas. If you want hostility, kid, all you had to do was ask. I would've tied you up again and left you inside that cell to have your brain rot in boredom. Would you like that, because I can always ask King Koopa about it."

For a long moment, they both glared at each other before Pip looked away with a snort. "Whatever."

Kops shook his head before continuing on towards their destination in silence, keeping himself from grumbling under his breath. His young charge had no such restraint however and he was mumbling the whole way there, falling quiet when they arrived at a double door and Kops pushed it open, a wash of noise and delicious scents washing over them as they walked inside.

Pip widened his eyes, impressed by the sheer size of this place. This was about four times the size of his school's cafeteria! And such size was most definitely needed as the place was crowded with other Koopas as well as Shy Guys and Goombas. The Café itself was a combination of a typical Lunch Line and an All You Can Eat Buffet, the latter clearly for seconds and desserts. Tables were lined along the walls and Pip vaguely wondered if there would even be a spot available for the two of them. Casting his gaze up, he saw the chamber was lit by several fancy chandeliers and he kept in a whistle so as not to hint further that he genuinely liked this place.

Following Kops closely so as not to get lost, Pip hasn't noticed until now how hungry he was and he realized that he hasn't eaten since dinner the evening before. With all the stress that went on this morning, it shouldn't surprise him that it slipped his mind. The pleasant smells wafting around the room certainly wasn't helping. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of food was served here.

And the answer seemed to be, 'Everything under the sun'. At least that's what he concluded when he got close enough to scan the buffet tables and his stomach grumbled impatiently. Falling in line behind Kops, he took a tray and saw the servers were Buzzy Beetles with chef hats tied to their shells and aprons, busily carrying out their respective work. Pip has seen Buzzy Beetles before and the thing that caught him the most off guard was how these particular ones moved. Beetles and their Spiny relatives always walked on all fours. These didn't conform to that method of movement at all and they all bounded about on their hind legs, almost as skillfully as he could. Before he could question this, one of the Beetles bounced over to him, giving a pleasant smile.

"And what can I get for you, sir?"

"Uh," Pip responded, casting an uncertain glance at Kops, who grinned in amusement at the Paratroopa's obvious confused behavior. "Wha…what do you guys have?"

"Everything." The smaller Koopa-like critter responded, confirming Pip's previous conclusion. "But today's special is BBQ themed, so if you'd like to try the ribs or steaks…"

"This early? Really?" Pip started, only to receive another nod. Blinking, he considered the rare chance to enjoy a dinner-like meal for practical breakfast and only one thing came to mind. "How much would that be?" It was an instinctive question, and it earned a chuckle from the Beetle.

"Everything's free here, so help yourself." At this answer, Pip felt his beak drop open. And here he thought that Doc was just exaggerating, but it turns out everything really _was_ taken care of around here. If he wasn't so wary of the whole thing, he might say that it was pretty awesome.

"Okay, can I get a rib, a T-bone steak, some sweet potato casserole, and white corn on a cob?" he requested, expecting some kind of reprimand for being greedy or something. But the server didn't even bat a glowing red eye as he nodded respectfully.

"Coming right up, sir!" Moving expertly as he gathered the requested food, the Beetle still somehow managed to balance on his hind-legs as he darted back towards Pip with a heavy plateful of fresh food. "Here you go. Would you like a drink with that, sir?"

"S-sure…" Pip said as he took the plate, still trying to comprehend that this was happening in real life. But even then, he still refused to verbally share how impressed he was, no matter how difficult it was becoming. "Uh, can I have a large chocolate shake?"

"Righty-O!" the server beamed, heading off again, and Pip finally understood that apparently the Beetles were refusing to touch the floor with their front paws while on the job so as not to contaminate the food. He wondered how long it took for them to master the technique. Within a minute, his server returned with a large glass filled to the brim with shake, with whip cream and a cherry on top. Pip took that too and placed it on his tray.

Alright, despite it being directed towards an enemy creature, Pip felt that he _had_ to give his thanks before Kops (whom was served by another Beetle) led him towards a table. Apparently, Kops ate here often, as he headed straight towards one particular spot that was left free and he sat down, Pip sitting across from him. Looking at the Paratroopa, Kops saw that he still wore an amazed expression and he chuckled.

"So, you're liking the place?" he asked. Pip caught himself and quickly covered it up with the best look of disinterest that he could pull off.

"Whatever." And with that, he began sampling the food, finding it to be just as good as it looked…

**Sometime later…**

"How are you _still_ eating?!" Kops choked through his own wide-eyed amazement as Pip scarfed down another fork-full of the stack of ten pancakes in front of him. This was the Paratroopa's THIRD trip to the buffet and his appetite hasn't seemed to wane a bit. In confusion, Kops wondered how distended the young Koopa's belly must be underneath that shell! He knew Paratroopas needed to eat a lot to support their high metabolism that fueled their flight-related activities, but damn! Just where is this kid putting it all?!

Scooping in another beakful of food, Pip made an attempt to respond, but his speech was muffled by his stuffed cheek-pouches. Managing to swallow enough food, he no longer cared too much about maintaining his act of hostility as he squeaked. "This is…the best brunch…ever!"

And then, he shoveled in more food, which Kops interpretated as an attempt to swallow the pancake stack whole. Shaking his head in wonder, the Koopa Troopa startled as a loud roar echoed throughout the castle, causing everyone in the room to go silent.

"KOPS, REPORT TO ME WITH THAT PARATROOPA IMMEDIATELY!"

Everyone in the room took a moment to let their ears settle before resuming what they were doing as if nothing happened. Kops looked back to where Pip oughta be, only to find the seat vacant. Blinking, the older Koopa stood up and looked over the table to find the Paratroopa on the floor with a startled look on his face. Apparently, Pip had attempted to take off as a fear reflex, only to find that the food he's been eating now made him too heavy to pull off such a feat.

Recovering from his failed attempt to fly, Pip sat up as he looked about anxiously. "What was _that_?!"

"That was King Koopa. He does that a lot, but you'll get used to it. Kinda." Kops informed him, helping the youngster to his feet before leading him out of the Café.

"Well, what does he want?" Pip questioned, his sense of disdain returning. Okay, he can probably tolerate Kops and these other subordinate Koopas, but Bowser himself? That was just too much to ask from the little village Koopa. So being singled out to meet the king like this was filling him with a rather acute sense of hate…and dread.

"Probably wants to see you for that whole Shy Guy incident, but don't worry, kid," Kops reassured calmly. "You're new, so he's probably just gonna give you a reprimand or something."

"Yay." Pip grunted sarcastically before trying to keep in a whimper as they soon arrived in familiar hallways. And just around the corner was the passage leading to the throne room. Holding back a gulp, he gathered himself in preparation and stood tall as they entered the room, Kops immediately bowing his head when he saw Bowser standing in the middle of the room.

"You bellowed, sir?" the Koopa Troopa inquired respectively, catching the monstrous turtle's attention.

"Of course I did!" Bowser scoffed, turning his piercing gaze to Pip. A sinister smirk spread on his muzzle, his razor sharp fangs flashing as he growled. "So you're the tiny creature that caused so much trouble in the medical wing earlier."

"I'm not tiny." Pip snapped, crossing his arms as he glared up at the dragon. "Now what do you want?"

Bowser bursted out laughing, obviously not taking the young Koopa's hostility seriously, and Pip growled softly at this open mockery. But even that growl choked in his throat as the King of Koopas wandered over, every footstep sending vibrations through the floor.

"Such a feisty little shrimp; you'll make a good addition to my Koopa Troop once you're broken." Bowser hissed in malicious amusement. Looking down at the defiant newcomer, he continued in a more serious tone of voice. "Now what I want is to know why you chased off one of my most trusted Shy Guys. Choose your words wisely, insect."

Pip most certainly chose his words wisely and he tried his very best not to falter as he met those red eyes glaring at him. "I don't have to answer to you. You're not the boss of me." He caught a worried glance from Kops, but Pip still stood firm in his position even as Bowser leaned down to sneer over him, a claw jabbing into the Paratroopa's chest.

"Do you forget who you're speaking to, worm? I'm more than your boss; I'm your god and you will treat me as such."

Silence as Pip held his own glare for a moment before making his final point…by biting hard into the finger that poked him. King Bowser barely flinched, but he tore his hand away regardless, snarling at this show of disrespect. The massive fire-breather seemed about to lash out physically before reminding himself that he had to show 'patience' with his new recruits. He's broken defiant Koopas like this before, and he's learned that physical punishment this early on would only strengthen the newcomer's resolve and make them even more uncooperative. Luckily, he's developed a very effective method that has converted many a reluctant Koopa. This mere teenager will be no different.

Looking to Kops, he growled out his words. "Is this one being kept in one of the special cells?"

At this, Kops turned his attention from worrying about the insane Paratroopa to his royal superior and he nodded quickly. "Yes, sir. Impacto felt that it would be a necessary choice. Said the kid was too much trouble to be the compliant-type."

"A choice well made." Bowser grunted before returning his attention to the child before him, his smirk returning as he proceeded to the next step of his specialized method. "Would you like to know how your village is doing?"

At this, Pip said nothing for a moment, his glare turning into a full-on scowl before he finally responded. "I don't need you to tell me, because I'll be back home before night-fall." He hissed as if it was fact, earning a scornful huff from his captor.

"You'll be back to the _ruins_ of your home, Paratroopa." Bowser corrected. "Your precious little village has been completely destroyed; burned to the ground with nothing left."

"You're lying." Was all Pip managed to choke out, refusing to believe such a thing. Yes, he saw some Fire Bros. set houses alight, but surely the damage wasn't _that_ bad. Surely, his fellow villagers would've saved the community in time. No, Bowser's just trying to psyche him out and he wasn't going to fall for it.

"Then by all means, _try_ to escape. I guarantee you that it'll only bring you pain and misery." Bowser responded with satisfaction. Stand to full height once again, he turned his attention back to Kops. "Have you finished his orientation of the castle?"

"No, sir." Kops responded softly, feeling more humbled than usual from the tense atmosphere. "In fact, I was about to show him the S Wing when you called so he'll know what he's missing where housing's concerned."

"Excellent. Waste no time in getting there." Bowser demanded and Kops could tell he had reason for such urgency. Not going to question the royal Koopa, Kops nodded immediately, showing Pip the way out when Bowser gave them a dismissive wave.

And as soon as they were out of sight, King Bowser took another deep breath. "CRASH, REPORT TO ME NOW!" And his voice was still strong as it echoed out the room to travel down the halls in search of the target pair of ears. Crossing his arms, he had to wait but a mere few minutes before the summoned Hammer Bro. walked into the room, bowing his head automatically.

"Yes, sir?"

"Head to the S Wing quickly. I need you to provide a little…demonstration." At this, Crash's expression brightened considerably, a pleased purr coming from his throat as his Lord continued. "I don't care who you pick as your target, but make sure a certain little Paratroopa sees it. You'll recognize him as he'll be accompanied by Kops. And I want you to make _every_ point clear to him on what would happen if he continues to be an idiot." He grinned. "And be sure it's extra bloody. I want that insubordinate brat traumatized by the time you finish, got it?"

"Most certainly, King Koopa." Crash stated with a grin, taking a hammer and wasting not a second in heading towards his destination, eager to take part in his favorite past-time…

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><p>Sorry for the delay. I've been writing out other future chapters for this story and I lost track of time. ^.^' No worries, the next chapter should be up a bit faster. Until then, please review! :D<p> 


	5. Crash

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

Told ya this chapter would come in sooner; consider it a treat for being so patient with the last one! :D Special thanks to **Moley Koopa**, **Elemental Queen****,** and **Spike Brigadier **for the kind and encouraging reviews! I love ya guys!

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><p><em>Chapter 4<em>

"Kid, do you have a deathwish?" Kops asked pointedly as they wandered the halls towards the S Wing. Glaring from the corner of his eyes, he saw Pip exhale sharply through his nose in a snort before the child responded in an equally pointed tone.

"No, but I do have pride," he spat with venom. "There's no WAY that I'm gonna do ANYTHING he tells me!"

"You have no choice," Kops told him firmly. "He runs the place and if you don't listen to him, horrible things will happen to you."

"Let them happen!" the temperamental teenager hissed in defiance. "Nothing he does is gonna change the fact that he's evil! That he kidnapped me and wants to make a slave outta me! I'm not falling in line with that!" He snapped his glare to his Koopa Troopa escort. "And I dunno why you would either!"

"Because he pays me," Kops began his list of reasons, his words growing with emphasis as he went. "He houses me, _feeds_ me, and oh yeah! He'll _kill_ me if I don't!"

"Then why not escape?" Pip replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Get outta here and live your own life! Come live in my village!"

"Hell no!" Kops' glare hardened as he stopped in his tracks, trying to drill this entire situation into the youngster's thick head. "Forget about your village, kid! This is your home now! If you try to escape, you'll only meet with failure and even if you do succeed..." Kops paused as he forced himself to calm down and speak rationally. "If you succeed, King Koopa will just hunt you down. Would you really want to put everyone you know and love at risk like that?"

"He'll never find me." Pip grumbled stubbornly and Kops shook his head, giving up on trying to put some logic into this Koopa's brain. It was obvious it wasn't working. Well, fine. Let him learn the hard way, if that's what he wanted. Continuing to walk, Kops changed the subject as they arrived in their destination.

"Once you _do_ finally begin to accept your fate, your room will look pretty much like this..." he began, getting out a key and undoing the lock of one of the doors. "This is my room; don't mind the mess. The cleaners haven't come by here yet."

Pip rolled his eyes, still sour on their previous conversation, but that changed as he stepped inside to look around. Whoa... If he could imagine a grand suite in the finest hotel, it would be this room! Kops' stuff was littering the place, but that didn't take away from the spectacular sight! Every piece of furniture seemed to have been already provided, though it was clear that the Koopa Troopa had personalized everything. Seems Kops was an avid comics and video games fan. He had massive bookcases filled with comics of Spider-Koopa and SuperGuy. And in front of the flat-screen TV was a whole assortment of game consoles; he wondered if they would get the opportunity to play.

"Nice place..." Pip grunted begrudgingly. He would probably be more genuine if he didn't already know that this room was basically a bribe.

"It's actually one of the more humble ones," Kops startled a bit when he heard a sputtering noise from his charge and he saw Pip staring at him in amazement. He couldn't keep back a chuckle. "Whaddya expect? I'm just a Koopa Troopa. The elites have rooms more than twice this size," He gestured to the Paratroopa that it's time to move on. "Come on, I'll see if I can show you one of their rooms."

Pip nodded softly before returning into the halls, Kops making sure to lock his door before leading the way further into the dark corridors...

* * *

><p>The S Wing seemed a bit darker than usual but that's probably because he was so tired. Between his night shift patrol and the early-morning raid on that village, he was exhausted. At least he didn't have to walk back to his room. Yawning with a stretch, he rested his head on his arms as his cloud transportation navigated through the corridors. The silence around him was only contributing to his sleepy state and he would've dozed off completely if something didn't zoom past his head.<p>

Startling with a cry, he looked about, fixing his goggles as he tried to get a fix on what that could possibly be. He swooped in closer to where the object hit the ground. A hammer? Wha-

He couldn't question more before something smashed into the back of his head, knocking him clean off his cloud and causing him to crash into the floor. Dazed, the Lakitu groaned as his hand immediately went to the impact point to rub the pain away. Instead he felt warm, sticky fluid and it took him a long moment to realize the he was bleeding. Grimacing in pain, he barely managed to orientate his gaze towards the sound of approaching footsteps and what he saw sent horrified shudders thoughout his entire body. It was a Hammer Bro. whom he had hoped never to come into contact with.

"Crash..." he could barely manage the whisper as his panicked body tried to scramble to his feet and run to his cloud at the same time. But he could go nowhere before his attacker gripped a vice-like hand onto his throat. The Lakitu whimpered in both terror and confusion. What was going on? Crash wouldn't attack unless Bowser ordered him to and the spectacled turtle couldn't understand why the King would single him out as a target. He was a _very_ loyal Koopa! In fact, he just recently treated King Bowser with good news on the earlier raid's success, so everything was on good terms! He wasn't a trouble maker and he always carried out orders enthusiastically! Why was this happening?!

Before he could make his confusion known verbally, Crash rose a hammer with a malicious smirk and a pleasured growl. Cringing as tears welled up in his eyes, he could barely get his strangled voice to work as he stared at nothing but that hammer. "No! Please, don't! Whatever I did wrong, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"You will be," was the only response he got before the dreaded weapon was swung down with obvious force...

* * *

><p>"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"<p>

Pip jumped in startlement at the loud, piercing scream, barely able to keep himself from taking off. Eyes wide as he stared in the direction of the blood-curdling screech, he looked to Kops for answers. The Koopa Troopa certainly seemed troubled, but to Pip's horror, he turned away.

"Let's go, kid. That's our cue to get out of here." he muttered in a shaky voice. The Paratroopa almost choked on the air he breathed, his gaze jerking between the desperate cries for help and the unresponsive Koopa Troopa.

"Whaddya mean?! We have to help him!" Pip spouted, earning a firm look from Kops as he shook his head.

"We don't want to do that, trust me. These screams are another thing you'll have to learn to ignore."

"But...How..." Pip couldn't believe it. This apparently happened rather frequently and he was supposed to turn the other cheek and pretend he didn't hear? No, he couldn't do that and before he even thought about what he was doing, he dashed towards it to help whoever in trouble. He didn't care if it was an evil Koopa or not; someone needed help and he wasn't one to turn down anyone. Ignoring Kops' shouts to stop, he flew down each passageway as fast as his wings could carry him, almost braining himself because he was going at such reckless speeds. But despite his best efforts, it was all in vain and the screams were cut off just as he rounded a corner. And there, Pip was stunned still, a horrified and disbelieving look on his face. For right in front of him was one of the most horrifying things he's ever seen.

A horribly beaten Lakitu was lying on the ground, bleeding so heavily that the floor under him was covered and that wasn't even counting the large amounts of splatter all over the walls. That was bad, but what was worse was that a Hammer Bro. was backing away a couple of steps, glaring at the unconscious Koopa lying by his feet. Judging from the blood also coating his face and hammer, it didn't take an expert to figure out what just happened. Pip couldn't comprehend; why would...how could...?

The Hammer Bro. took notice of the stunned Paratroopa and shifted his glare towards the newcomer. For a second, their eyes met and Pip felt chills go down his spine at the sheer and utter hatred in this Hammer Bro.'s gaze. But before he could snap out of his shocked state, a pair of hands grabbed him and yanked him back behind the corner. It was Kops.

"Don't run off like that, kid! You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"What the HELL WAS THAT!?" Pip shrieked the first thing that came into his mind and instantly, Kops clamped his hand over his beak. Pip kept screaming, his voice muffled and only calming down after several harsh shushes.

"Did he see you?" Kops whispered when the panicked Paratroopa finally got it into his head that being quiet might be a good thing. After taking a second to comprehend, Pip nodded slowly. "Shit!" Kops cursed before muttering, "Well, not like he can do anything to us without King Koopa's okay." With that, he removed his hand from Pip's mouth and the Paratroopa tried desperately to make sense of this.

"What's going on? Who's that guy? And why did he massacre that Lakitu?!" Pip started his stream of questions that needed immediate answering. Kops gave him one more shush before sighing.

"Listen carefully, kid. There're some Koopas here that you certainly don't wanna be affiliated with and _he_ is one of them." He paused for a moment, listening for any signs that the Hammer Bro. might be approaching them before continuing in a whisper. "His name is Crash. Stay away from him at _all_ costs. He's basically a hitman that Bowser sics on those who disobeys him or just pisses him off."

"So...He attacks other Koopas under Bowser's orders?" Pip piped up in an equal whisper for confirmation, receiving a nod in response. "And he does this _willingly_?"

"And happily." Kops added, adding even more to Pip's disbelieving horror.

"But...but why?" he managed to choke out, unable to understand how anyone can do such a horrendous act and enjoy it!

"Well, his brother died in battle and he's taken it extremely hard. Apparently, his grief got too much and he went berserk and killed a few of our own. He hasn't been the same since." Kops told him, shaking his head sadly.

"Why don't you tell him the whole story?" came a voice and the two Koopas jumped as they peeked over the corner, finding Crash leaning against the wall, toying with his bloodied hammer, glaring at them from the corner of his icy blue eyes.

"What?" Kops asked in confusion, earning a full-on sneer from the Hammer Bro.

"Tell the entire story, you low-life scum. Explain to the new kid what he should expect from me and why I will always be wishing him dead every time I look at him." Crash hissed, tightening his grip on his hammer. Kops looked at him before glancing at Pip. Thinking for a moment, the older Koopa turned back to Crash, speaking as calmly as he could through his fear.

"Crash, it's been years since it happened. You need to move on."

This got a low snarl in response as Crash pushed himself off the wall and stormed toward the Koopa Troopa. Before the lower-ranked soldier could react, the Hammer Bro. grabbed him by the throat, leaning into his face with such intense hostility that Pip actually feared for the other Koopa, despite the Koopa Troopa being his warden in this practical prison. The larger turtle's voice was so low that the Paratroopa had to strain to make it out although he was sure Kops would hear it loud and clear.

"The only time I'll move on is when I'm rotting in the ground. My brother died because of YOU."

"I had nothing to do wit-"

"Shut up!" Crash continued to snarl, obviously having no patience for argument on this issue. "Your kind was responsible and that's condemning enough in my eyes! You're all cowardly, weak creatures, worthy of extermination. Why Lord Bowser keeps you useless pests around is beyond me. Although..." At this, his tone changed and a smirking leer spread across his face as he pointed the sharper end of his hammer's head at the shivering Koopa Troopa's face. "If you were all gone, who would I have left to play with?"

The pointed end of the hammer dug into the yellow scales of Kops' cheek, causing the Koopa to wince in pain as blood drizzled down from the new wound. Breathing heavily in fear, the Koopa Troopa forced his shaky voice to speak up.

"W...We're not cowardly, Crash. We're all different... Not all Koopas are...what you think they are." he told the larger reptile, crying out as Crash slashed the hammer down his face.

"Well," Crash continued in a chillingly calm voice. "I have yet to meet anyone that proves me wrong." With that, he pushed the smaller Koopa to the ground before walking, right for Pip. The Paratroopa tensed in fear, about to flee when Crash grabbed his throat in turn. Pip struggled a bit, finding it incredibly difficult to breathe as Crash leaned into his face in turn. "Since that piece of scum isn't going to _enlighten_ you, I'll do it myself. Yes, my brother died in battle, but do you know why?"

Not knowing how else to respond, Pip shook his head as best he could, his eyes wide in terror as he tried in vain to pry at the Hammer Bro.'s hand.

"Of course not," Crash hissed. "My brother was outnumbered, overwhelmed. I couldn't reach him, but there were plenty of others who could. I _begged_ you all to save him..." He took a deep shaky breath as his glare intensified. "And you all left him to die!" After a moment of silence, he gave the new kid a grin that practically screamed 'psychotic'. "My brother could be alive right now, and none of you would've had to worry about me. Sort of a mixed blessing now that I think about it..." Returning to the matter at hand, he leered at the Paratroopa. "I sure hope you continue being the rebellious little idiot you are. Keep getting on Lord Bowser's bad side. Eventually, we'll be seeing each other again and when we do, I guarantee: you'll be in so many pieces that not even the Magikoopas will be able to put you back together."

His words over, Crash released the newbie and walked off, not even giving the recovering Koopas a backwards glance as he disappeared from sight.

"He's pleasant..." Pip muttered softly in as best a sarcastic tone as he could pull off.

"You have no idea..." Kops responded, pressing a hand on his injury to slow the bleeding.

"Anyone else I need to watch out for?"

"Hammer Bro.-wise? Not really. Most of them are pompous and arrogant, but they're nothing like Crash." Kops started, getting to his feet. "As for other species, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." It was obvious that Kops didn't wanna get into the subject as he turned to the Lakitu, approaching the beaten Koopa. Kneeling down by him, the Koopa Troopa searched for signs of life as Pip hesitantly wandered over.

"Is he...gonna be okay?" he whispered softly and uncertainly, a look of heavy worry on his face. Kops didn't answer as he gently shook the unmoving form. Finally rolling him onto his back, he placed an ear to his chest, listening carefully before slowly pulling away.

"He's alright..." At this, Pip felt a flash of relief, only to have it crushed with the next statement. "...in that he's no longer suffering."

"He...He's dead...?" Pip squeaked and he earned a nod in response. Shaking his head softly as he lowered his gaze, his wings drooped in distress at the news before he muttered. "I could've saved him if I was faster..."

Kops immediately turned his attention to the Paratroopa and when he spoke, it was in a firm, no-nonsense tone. "Kid, you _have _to listen to me when I give you orders. I told you to leave things be for a reason. If you _had_ moved faster, if you interfered, Crash would have reason to turn on _you_. Don't think he's bluffing with anything he says and don't think he won't hurt you just 'cause you're a kid. He's killed Koopas far younger than you before and he won't bat an eye if you become his target."

"Well, I couldn't just stand there and do nothing!" Pip argued, still unable to help himself, and Kops' expression saddened a bit. He understood the Paratroopa's position, and to an extent, he felt the same way. However, one cannot change the way of things, especially if one's just a low-ranking and, not to mention, _expendable_ Koopa. And that's a lesson the Paratroopa had to learn.

"Nothing is all you can do, Pip. Bowser's orders is everything around here. King Koopa wanted this Lakitu dead for some reason and it's not our place to question it or get in the way." He stood up, lowering his gaze to the unfortunate victim as he muttered. "Like I said before: It's just another thing you have to get used to, no matter how hard it is."

The silence between them was thick and palpable and Kops broke it by clearing his throat. "Now let's get this poor soul to the Shy Guys, so they can put it on record."

Pip only gave a silent nod before he helped gather the bloodied body and allowed Kops to take the lead in getting to the Medical Wing, his mind heavy in shame for giving into Kops' words, and terror that he might be facing the same fate...

* * *

><p>That poor Lakitu; he knew not what he's done. :( Now that Crash is officially introduced to the main character, this is where chapters will start getting progressively darker and more serious, although I'll try to balance it with lighter, humorous scenes as well. Any who wants to learn more on Crash's history (who hasn't done so already) can read my other story, <em>When Evil's Born<em>, if they so desire. ;)

I've decided to submit this a bit earlier than scheduled as I have little-to-no self-control when it comes to submitting chapters :p Plus, it's to make up for the fact that the last one took forever. I'm gonna be putting the next chapter together and my submissions are a bit unpredictable, so keep an eye for it!


	6. New Job

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

To One Anonymous 'Reviewer'- Dude...it's very difficult to annoy someone like me, but you're getting there. You've spammed another one of my stories with the same request to update Pigeon of War and now you've turned your attention to spamming this one (I honestly thought you'd get the point when I deleted them, but obviously, that's not the case). I don't mind review spamming IF IT'S KEPT TO THE STORY IN QUESTION. Rest your mind in knowing that Pigeon of War is NOT a dead story (none of my fics truly are). But also keep in mind that I can't be _forced_ to write chapters for a fandom I currently hold no interest in (unless you want half-hearted quality). So please, wait until I hit a Valiant phase or keep your spamming to the actual Pigeon of War story. P.S. I know you're the same person so stop with the different user names. And also don't pretend that you've read this story (or if you have, actually review instead of begging for an update to a completely irrelevant fic). I'm sorry, I don't wanna be harsh, but that's what happens when one's annoyed... :(

To everyone else, thank you for your HONEST reviews! I always look forward to them and it gives me great excitement to read them, as well as great motivation to continue on!

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 5<em>

"Thank you both for bringing him in." A Shy Guy muttered solemnly as he carefully poured some hydrogen peroxide on a piece of gauze. Receiving a saddened nod from Kops and Pip, the yellow-garbed medic wandered over to the Koopa Troopa sitting on the exam table. Gently treating Kop's cheek wound, the masked Guy continued in a glum tone of voice. "And it's good you reported this injury, Mr. Kops. It could've easily gotten infected if Crash really did use the same hammer he utilized in killing the Lakitu."

"He did," Kops once more confirmed, wincing as the burning intensified for a few seconds before it began to subside. "Will it need stitches?"

"Thankfully, no," the Shy Guy answered as he busily continued to clean the gash. "I think it'll heal well on its own. It'll definitely leave a scar though..."

"Minor news," Kops responded with a shrug as the doctor soaked some more gauze with the rubbing alcohol before bandaging it against the wound. As Kops slid off the table, the Guy turned to Pip.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

The Paratroopa nodded softly, still feeling horrible about the whole situation. He's never had to deal with death on this level before and apparently unlike the other two, he wasn't used to it at all. And it showed in the fact that as he followed his Koopa Troopa companion out of the medical wing, he kept his gaze on the floor silently, wings held low and hands fiddling together. Kops watched him from the corner of his eye before muttering sympathetically.

"We did our best, kid. We have to pick ourselves up and move on."

Pip sighed before muttering back. "I guess so..."

More silence flowed between them as the Koopa Troopa led them back towards the S Wing, the sound of their footsteps being the only thing echoing through the halls. And after a few more awkward moments, again Kops spoke up, deciding to get back to schedule despite the major set-back. "I suppose now's as good a time as ever to introduce you to your new job."

"Job?" Pip questioned softly, glancing at the other Koopa, who nodded.

"Everyone here has a set of two tasks that they're expected to perform and nobody is exempt, not even a new recruit like you, kid."

"What kind of job do you have?"

"Half the time, I'm a soldier, as everyone else is around here. The other half, we all have our own little niche, like the Shy Guys as doctors and the Beetles as chefs. Mine is as a guide and teacher for new recruits, keeping an eye on you until Bowser feels you can be trusted enough to officially join the Koopa Troop."

"Well, that day will never come," Pip muttered mostly to himself, his previous sadness starting to fade into his usual defiance. He had no intention of staying _that_ long. But to keep his brain from rotting in boredom and otherwise going insane, he might as well keep himself busy with something productive during his _temporary_ captivity. Looking to his guide, he questioned in a surprisingly compliant tone. "So what is it that I have to do around here?"

"Besides learning the basics and looking constantly amazed and confused?" Kops started jokingly to lighten the mood a bit more, meeting with only minor success. "You'll be a cleaner. You take care of tidying up the halls and stuff. Oh! And you have to clean up everyone's rooms."

"By myself?!" Pip said in startled dismay, earning a negative shake of the head from Kops.

"Of course not. There's plenty of other cleaners working within the many halls and rooms around here. But since they too are relatively new recruits, Bowser doesn't want you working or interacting with them. So, again, _I_ have to show you the ropes."

Arriving into the familiar hallways, Kops wisely kept away from the murder scene and instead took an alternate route. Pip looked about, noticing that the halls were getting brighter the farther they went, as well as more intricately decorated. Pip was about to question their location before Kops came to stop in front of a door, Pip taking notice of a boomerang insignia in the very center of said entrance.

"This is where the elites live. They're the top priority in your housekeeping job. You can tell the species by these markings," Kops nodded towards the insignia. "For example, this room belongs to Boomerang Bros. Always knock and announce yourself three times before you enter, unless they put out their Do Not Disturb signs, which speaks for itself."

Pip nodded slightly in understanding as Kops demonstrated the entering procedure. Within seconds, the door opened and indeed a Boomerang Bro. peeked out at them, his brother seen watching TV behind him. Kops immediately put on a smile and explained the current situation politely, allowing Pip to take note.

"Hello, sir. I'm training a new recruit how to be a cleaner. Is it alright if I use your room as a demonstration?"

"Of course," the larger Koopa responded with a smile before opening the door wider. Kops nodded his thanks before stepping in, turning to Pip as the Paratroopa's eyes practically shot out of his skull. Kops wasn't kidding at all when he said how much bigger the elite rooms were. This place was massive and gorgeous! It was almost too much for the young Koopa to take in and he heard the others chuckling at his amazement.

Getting back to business, Kops took Pip's arm to snap him out of it before leading the way further into the room, the Boomerang Bro. casually joining his sibling in watching television, obviously unfazed by their visitors. Stopping within a connecting passage shooting out from the main living room, Kops nodded to a couple doors on either side of them. "These are the bedrooms. They're the first you need to pay attention to," Immediately Kops called out to their hosts. "Is it alright if I go in one of the rooms?"

"Have fun," came the response.

"Go to the one on the right. It's neater." the other Koopa Bro. chimed in, prompting a playful argument between the siblings on whose room was better in the process. While they indulged in their brotherly banter, Kops made no hesitation in complying, opening the right-hand door and allowing the Paratroopa to enter first.

"Alright, the bed is always the priority, as well as anything they have on top of the bed. The way you arrange it all is personal taste; the residents can always rearrange it later. The most important thing is that it's organized."

Pip nodded again, making the extra effort to retain this information. Although these Boomerang Bros. seemed plenty nice enough, most of what Pip's seen has him believing that the elites were not very pleasant and the last thing he needed was to piss them off and add to his growing list of enemies. He followed the Koopa Troopa as he moved further into the room to yet another door, opening it completely to show the newbie. "Each room has their own bathroom. Replace each set of towels: 2 washcloths, hand-towels, and bath-towels. One bath-mat. Make sure you check both restrooms for this. And of course you scrub and wipe the mirrors, so on and so forth."

It seems Kops was finding this tiresome, but he continued nonetheless. "After the bathroom," He led the Paratroopa out and headed towards the kitchen near where the Boomerang Bros. were settled. "You move here. Do the dishes, wipe the counters, replace paper towels if need be." Pip noticed Kops was shortening his list of duties, but didn't complain at all. He too was beginning to get tired of trying to keep up with this. "And then afterwards, you dust and vacuum and move on to the next room."

Turning to Pip, Kops smiled wearily and shook his head with a shrug. "That's it really. Just create your own routine that's easy for you to remember and King Koopa will be happy."

"Like I care about his stupid happiness." Pip once more made his defiance perfectly clear, catching the attention of the Koopa Bros., who looked at him like he was crazy.

"Uh, yeah," one of them started in warning. "I wouldn't be saying stuff like that. Last thing you want is to piss him off."

"Actually, that's _exactly_ what I want." Pip replied confidently, crossing his arms to emphasize his position as he continued. "If there's one thing I hope to accomplish in being stuck here, it's making his life just a little bit more frustrating than it needs to be. I feel it's the _least_ I can do."

The two elites stared at him in disbelieving silence before simultaneously looking to Kops, their expressions enough to make their unspoken question clear: 'Is this kid insane?' Kops merely gave a helpless expression back before the Koopa Bros. glanced at each other. Returning full attention back to the defiant teenager, only one conclusion can be made certain from this, if what the kid was saying held any weight at all.

"You are _so_ going to die." they both muttered at the same time, neither without a hint of doubt, before resuming their TV watching. Pip faltered for a moment at the certainty of their declaration before forcing himself to huff offhandedly.

"We'll see about that." He retorted softly before Kops shook his head in slight irritation and gestured the youngster to follow him out. Pip obeyed with little hesitation and Kops did nothing to reprimand the child for his public show of defiance. He already gave up on that department and decided to let things run its course. He'll do everything in his power to keep his charge safe, but at this rate, it seems there were to be no guarantees on what fate had in store for them.

"Alright, I have one more thing to show you before we actually start your first official training session." the Koopa Troopa started back on track like nothing happened. His serious tone of voice immediately caught Pip's attention and he knew that whatever it was that Kops wanted to share, it had to be important. And important it was as Kops then stopped by a door whose insignia shows that it belongs to a Hammer Bro. A "Do Not Disturb" sign was hanging on the knob and Kops looked troubled for some reason as he turned to meet Pip in the eye. "This...is Crash's room."

Pip felt a jolt of horror and he squeaked out his words before he even realized it. "I'm not expected to clean that, am I?"

"Unfortunately, you are. Luckily, Crash only takes this sign down like, once a week or something..." He then sighed. "But to balance out that luck, he only does so when he himself is in the room. He doesn't trust us at all, so he likes to keep an eye on us while we clean..."

"Anything else? I'm not sure I'm quite terrified enough."

"Just stay out of closed doors. Half the room used to belong to his brother and Crash won't tolerate ANYONE going into the left-side bedroom." He put on another smile. "Other than that, everything will be okay; you won't be alone with him or anything."

"That's good, I guess..."

"Now come on. I need to get you your supplies, and I'll see how fast a learner you are." Kops attempted to perk up the conversation before once more leading the Paratroopa off to get started on his in-training work...

* * *

><p>"Ugh! I'm so bored and exhausted and I didn't even spend a full day on this!" Pip complained with a groan. It was getting rather late and he was surprised how quickly time had passed. Wasn't it just a few minutes ago that he was gorging himself during dinner time? Kops half-expected him to eat every scrap of edible substance in the entire castle, and that actually wasn't too far from his mind. Luckily, even <em>his<em> stomach had its limits and it took him a few hours of digestion to gain enough motivation to walk, much less resume his training. Now sitting against the wall next to a bucket of rags and cleaning solutions, the Paratroopa slumped as Kops chuckled at him.

"Get used to it, 'cause it's not gonna be changing anytime soon." A grumble that sounded suspiciously like a 'You guys suck' came from his companion's throat and the Koopa Troopa picked up the bucket with an amused look on his face. But even that faded as he glanced at the time on a nearby clock. "Curfew's almost up and we gotta get you back to your cell."

"Wait. Curfew?!" Pip questioned in shock. Was Kops being serious? A curfew was something you would impose on a child, and alright, he _was_ a child, but Kops wasn't! Nor was the vast majority of the other Koopas residing here! But unfortunately, he was very much serious as he nodded glumly.

"Yup. Unless it's our official day off, we have to clear the halls and get back in our rooms. Only the guards, elites, and _very_ specific species are allowed out after 10pm." the Koopa Troopa informed him and it took a moment for Pip to comprehend. Already, a single grim question was slithering its way into his mind and he knew he had to ask it.

"And what'll happen if you are out that late?"

Kops gave him a look, knowing exactly why Pip would make an inquiry of such a thing and silently cautioning against it with his eyes. But he answered nonetheless in a harsh, no-nonsense tone of voice. "You'll be seen as trying to escape, especially a newer Koopa like you. Punishment for that is a rather brutal beating from you-know-who."

Pip gulped with eyes wide in fear, reminding himself that he'll have to be extra careful in his escape attempts. Especially since the only opportunity he'll have for escape will very likely be during the late night hours. Arriving at the cell in question, Kops pushed open the door and gestured Pip inside.

"In ya go, kid. I'll be back tomorrow morning, so you better still be in there." Kops emphasized with his still-stern attitude, earning an irritated look on Pip's face. The Paratroopa rolled his eyes and stepped into the cell, the door closing behind him and plunging him into darkness. The only light was that of the silver rays of the moon filtering in from the window and it took a moment for Pip's eyes to adjust.

And no sooner has that been accomplished when Pip made no hesitation in thoroughly exploring his prison with only one goal in mind: a way out. Despite Kops' frequent warnings and the lingering feelings of fear dwelling within him, Pip wasn't put off in the slightest. Foolhardy he may be, but he knew he had to get outta here. Yes, he'll admit that the place was decent enough at a glance, and he might also admit that deep within him was a desire to stay and learn more. But his logical mind can see right through the awesome food and beautiful rooms as being nothing more than what it was: a bribe, a mask to cover up how horrible a place like this really was. Kops and the others might wanna go along with it, but he wasn't so easily brain-washed.

So, moving on all-fours, the young Paratroopa search every nook and cranny within the walls and corners for something promising. His ground-orientated search turned up nothing, which didn't surprise him in the least. Maybe a spot higher up would be less secured. Fluttering near the ceiling, he repeated his searching actions to again come up with nothing. Beginning to growl in frustration, Pip landed by the barred window to see if he could maybe squeeze out. But even if he were to remove his shell, the spacing between the bars was just too narrow for even the smallest of hatchlings. And the bars themselves were much too dense to even conceive gnawing through them.

Taking a moment to view the outside world for the first time since his capture, he saw a clear starry night sky unhindered by clouds. How he wanted to be a part of that sky and his wings twitched impatiently. Forcing his eyes away, Pip attempted to look elsewhere to distract himself from his sense of longing. Below him was the lava moat that surrounded the castle and across from him a short distance away was another tower of the castle, leveling off roughly around his window level. It had what appeared to be a statue sitting at the very edge. It took a moment of further observation, but Pip could see enough detail to notice the statue was carved into the shape of a skeleton, a Koopa skeleton. Leave it to Bowser to choose the creepiest of decorations...

Returning to the matter at hand, Pip took to the air again, not failing to notice a slight shift in his take-off platform when he pushed away. Pausing, he flew back to his window ledge, this time scanning the blocks below it. And there it was; hope shining through like the sun's brightest rays. A block was projecting from the wall slightly more than the others. Taking hold of the edges, Pip felt it wriggle. A loose block! Finally, the fruits of his labor!

Feeling his heart pound in excitement, he dug in his fingers and began to pull. That's when movement caught his eye; however, it didn't come from the block. It came from the window. Panicked that he might've gotten caught, he flew down to his bed, practically burying himself in the covers until he was completely out of sight. And there he stayed, holding his breath, for a few long moments as he waited for something to happen. Nothing. Poking his head free of his blankets, he cautiously fluttered back to the window, peeking out carefully. Nobody was out there, except...

Instinctively, his eyes went to that creepy statue. It was still there...but in a completely different position. What the-?! How did...? With eyes wide in horror, Pip watched the statue shift again, moving its beak as if talking to itself. Shifting its head, Pip could see glowing yellow light coming from its otherwise hollow eyesockets. That's when realization hit him: that wasn't a statue he was looking at. That was an actual living skeleton! He couldn't keep in a cry and the skeleton must've heard, for it looked in his direction.

Ducking what he hoped was out of sight, Pip still watched as the skeleton scanned his side of the castle before looking directly at his window. Pip didn't know if the skeleton could see him or not, but it was terrifying regardless. Just something about its gaze, how unnatural it was and how intent its focus. Never once did this thing blink.

The room was mostly silent except for the soft whimpers coming from the Paratroopa's throat. He hoped to everything that the creature would look the other way and stop staring! And his hopes seemed to work as the skeleton finally returned its attention to the sky. Pip would've breathed a sigh of relief if he wasn't so freaked out! A skeleton! A _Koopa_ skeleton nonetheless! Just how was that possible?!

One thing's for sure, he quickly forgot about trying to get out, not while that monstrocity was out there! Shakily gliding off back into bed, Pip pulled the covers completely over his head like he used to do when he was little and still believed in the Boogy Man. He tried to force himself to go to sleep, but everytime he closed his eyes, all he could see was that creature's own intent stare blazing holes into his very soul.

It was going to be a long night...

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><p>Pip's certainly not going to forgetting this night! But looks like he found an escape route regardless. But is it really as easy as it seems? We'll find out as the story progresses. Until then, please review!<p> 


	7. Rattles

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

For my review thanks, I'm gonna go back to the way I used to do it 'cause I find it to be more interactive. :D

**Moley Koopa- **Although I already responded to your review via PM, I still wanna include you here as you've proven to be nothing short of a dedicated reader! *hugs*  
><strong>Spike Brigadier-<strong> I love how poetic you always are in your reviews! It always brings a smile on my face! And indeed poor Pip; luckily, he's not fooled by these materialistic temptations. But that just might lead to even more trouble for him...  
><strong>Elemental Queen- <strong>Thank you! And your review is lovely as usual! You're one of the main reviewers that I always look forward to! *Huggles!*

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><p><em>Chapter 6<em>

Morning couldn't have come any faster as far as Pip was concerned. Still buried beneath his blankets, he hardly gotten any sleep at all during the night. And really, what could one expect? Whenever he did fall asleep, he would have nightmares about either his kidnapping, the needle-related panic in the Medical Wing (he still considered that the worst nightmare of all), or of that friggin' skeleton! He didn't even know if it was still out there, as he couldn't bring himself to check. So he stayed huddled and awake, under the covers and curled in his shell for an extra measure of paranoid safety. Until finally, a knock came from the door and Pip heard it swing open. Instinctively, he tensed in fear...

"Kid?"

...And then instantly relaxed. It was just Kops. He heard the Koopa Troopa walk closer and felt a poke on his shell, no doubt to check if it was really him and not just some pillow decoy. Upon confirmation that this was indeed the young Paratroopa, the Koopa Troopa pulled the blanket off. "Wake up, kid. Breakfast time." When he got no response, Kops leaned over to peek into the shell where the head withdraws, only to see a sleepy, yet frightened pair of large blue eyes staring back at him. Immediately, he got concerned. "Hey, what's up?"

"I'm not coming out until you check the window..." the child whimpered and Kops could almost see the rest of the body shivering. Tilting his head at this strange request, the older Koopa nonetheless abided as he wandered to the window. Jumping up, he grabbed hold of the ledge before pulling himself up with a grunt, taking a moment to scan the outside world. Unfortunately he didn't even know what he was looking for, although nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Maybe the kid was seeing things, or the source of the stress was already long gone. Whichever it was, the coast was clear and he hopped off back to the ground.

"I don't really see anything. So I guess you can stop hiding now." he reassured with a shrug, still confused about the whole situation. Upon hearing that, and not hearing Kops freak out, Pip indeed uncurled from his shell, allowing a long held sigh of relief from his beak. Giving the Paratroopa a strange look, Kops couldn't help but ask. "Okay, kid. What happened last night?"

"N...Nothing..." Pip stuttered shakily before abruptly changing the subject with a forced smile. "Let's get some waffles!" And with that, he walked out of his cell, Kops shaking his head as he followed. For a moment, he allowed the Paratroopa to navigate the halls on his own, seeing if the young Koopa has learned his way around yet. But on the third turn, Pip hesitated and looked to Kops uncertainly. Giving a chuckle, Kops resumed the lead, actually backtracking to a previous turn before going the right direction.

All the while, Pip seemed rather deep in thought. He was still thinking about the night before and he was trying to figure out how to convey the situation without sounding like a lunatic. He supposed it doesn't matter; there _was_ no way to make it sound sane. But it was definitely a burden that needed to be lifted and after a few more moments, he pushed past his nervousness to choke out his words.

"Hey, Kops..." he started uncertainly, once more taking part in his hand-wringing habit. Hearing the Koopa Troopa grunt in acknowledgment, the Paratroopa paused, hesitant to issue his question now that it's gotten to this point. He couldn't help it; it just seemed too unreal. Skeletons can't come to life. Maybe it was all just some strange, incredibly vivid dream that he was confusing for real-life. But he knew that that wasn't the case; his dreams weren't _that_ convincing. And it's not like Kops thought he was in his right mind anyway; what, with his constant statements of defiance directed towards a certain multi-tonned monster. Well, here goes nothing... "Um...There's this Koopa I saw that...well...He looked like...a uh..." Here it goes. "A...skeleton..."

"A Dry Bones," Kops enlightened nonchalantly and without missing a beat, knowing the sheltered village Koopa didn't really know of their living dead counterparts.

"Dry Bones?" Pip asked, startled by the unfazed nature of his companion. The other Koopa nodded, he himself relieved that the Paratroopa's previous fear apparently wasn't too serious.

"Sometimes when an especially loyal Koopa Troopa dies, King Bowser has him brought back as a Dry Bones to continue serving him."

"Oh," Pip commented, trying to accept the fact that apparently these walking creatures of death were no big deal around here. Maybe he didn't have a reason to be scared after all. He still had all sorts of questions though and he started by explaining why he brought it up in the first place. "Well, there's this Dry Bones that I saw outside my cell window last night. He was sitting in this one spot at the castle's edge, just staring at the sky."

"That's Rattles. Don't bother trying to interact with him." Kops told him as they went through the doors into the crowded and noisy lunchroom. Grabbing a tray, Pip looked to the older turtle worriedly, wondering what horrible answer awaited him this time.

"Why? What's he gonna do to me?" At this, Kops paused in confusion before laughing.

"Nothing, kid. It's more for Rattles' benefit than yours." Seeing the Paratroopa's look of confusion, he continued. "You see, Dry Bones have three different ways of dealing with their new existence. Most spend it with a happy-go-lucky attitude, always doing things they wouldn't dream of doing in life. Then there's some that take on an angry state of mind, always jealous of the living. _Those_ are the ones you would want to avoid." He gave Pip a quick warning look for emphasis and the young Koopa nodded in acknowledgement. "And then...there's some like Rattles."

At this, Kops sighed, ordering his desired food and heading for an available table. Pip followed close behind, taking a glance around at the other Koopas. He recognized some faces and... His heart stopped as he spotted Crash sitting by himself at a corner table, away from everyone else. The Hammer Bro. was eating an apple, ignoring the activity around him when he glanced up to meet Pip's gaze. Crash narrowed his eyes in an intense, hate-filled glare and Pip hurried to catch up to Kops, not wanting to risk instigating anything. Luckily, Crash just glared after him before resuming his breakfast with a snort. Coward...

Catching up with Kops and sitting next to him, Pip took a moment to calm his racing heart before continuing the conversation. "So, what about Rattles?"

This got another sigh as Kops as he paused with a reminiscing face and Pip wondered what was wrong. Before he could ask, the older Koopa spoke. "He used to be the happy-go-lucky type; he doesn't really talk, but he was a lot of fun to hang out with regardless. But then he began outliving his friends, something that tends to happen when you're immortal... With each death, he became more depressed and withdrawn and then, he lost his best friend, Boomer-"

"I remember Boomer," a Fire Bro. chimed in as he and his brother walked by with their trays. "He was a good guy."

"Yeah, he was." Kops agreed as the two elite soldiers sat down across from them, inviting themselves into this conversation.

"What happened?" Pip questioned with rapt interest, his curiosity peaked.

"Boomer was a Boomerang Bro. who was great friends with everybody. It didn't matter what rank or species you were, he would always treat you as an equal." Kops started.

"His brother was eventually killed by Mario and Boomer closed himself off from everyone in his grief," One of the Fire Bros. continued. "Everyone except that little Dry Bones, who managed to pull him through for a good full year."

"But it wasn't enough," the second Fire Bro. picked up before looking to Pip. "Losing one's twin brother is a horrible thing, Paratroopa, especially for us Koopa Bros. It's a practical death sentence for our kind, for life isn't worth living alone. Boomer was one of the few to last more than a few months; only Crash has him beat on longevity," -he gave a nod to the said Hammer Bro.- "and I certainly don't wanna give it a try myself."

The Fire Bro. shuddered in horror at the thought of finding himself without his brother and the second Fire Bro. gave his twin a comforting nudge with his elbow.

"By the way," Kops mentioned as an afterthought, looking to Pip before nodding to the Bros. "This is Pyro and Inferno. They're pretty cool for elite Koopas."

"Hey." Pyro greeted.

"What up." Inferno joined in immediately after. Pip offered a small smile, toying with his chocolate pudding whilst looking neither of them in the eye. Despite Kops' statement of these two being friendly and their current pleasant demeanor, he couldn't get the image of his burning village out of his mind. Although these two particular Fire Bros. might or might not have been responsible in the first place, the young Paratroopa was still wary of them. Luckily, such feelings were not too blatantly obvious as Kops continued the introductions.

"Pyro, Inferno, this is Pip, the new kid."

"Oh, so you're the one that was getting under King Bowser's skin yesterday," Pyro started, looking serious. Pip was worried he'll get hurt, but thankfully, the Bro.'s look also carried some concern. "We suggest you stop that, kid. You're just earning yourself a one-way ticket to a certain Hammer Bro."

"Yeah, yeah. Like I'll ever obey the guy who kidnapped me and destroyed half my village." Pip muttered under his breath without anyone hearing, before he decided to change the subject back to its original topic. "So what about Boomer and Rattles?"

Pyro and Inferno exchanged glances, knowing what the Paratroopa was doing, but deciding to go along with it. Pyro was the first to answer. "Well, Boomer got horribly sick on his last month of life. We visited him a couple of times, pure torture to see him ebb away like that..." His expression went from stern to saddened and his twin shared his sympathy.

"Rattles was the last to see him alive," Inferno continued. "Since then..." He shook his head in pity as Kops carried on.

"Since then, Rattles went into a pretty deep depression. He wouldn't acknowledge anyone whatsoever. Even now, he doesn't seem to want anything to do with the living. He's probably just trying to avoid anymore pain, ya know." He looked to Pip with a serious, solemn expression on his face. "That's why I told you to stay away from him. I'll admit, your future is an uncertain one at this rate, and it's best to leave Rattles out of it, just in case."

Pip understood what his companion meant and he said nothing in response. He knew he was probably going to get himself killed here, just like those Boomerang Bros. said, just like Crash said, and just like Pyro said. But he didn't take such a notion too seriously, despite everyone else's convictions. Death was not an option and staying here to be a slave wasn't either. He'll find a way outta here...eventually.

And an undead creature like a Dry Bones could prove to be a valuable ally to achieving that freedom...

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><p>Tonight is the night; he's waited the entire day with a mostly compliant attitude to get everyone's guard down and now it's time to make his move once again. After all, given last night's failure, he was determined to make this attempt a success. And this time, it'll be done without fear! Flying quietly towards the loose block, he dug his claws in and tugged, the brick moving slowly and laborously at first before sliding out. It was a lot heavier than he thought and it took all his strength to fly it back to the ground as soundlessly as he could manage. Casting one last glance outside to ensure he won't get caught, Pip saw no sign of activity and the Dry Bones was nowhere in sight. Satisfied, he ducked into the resulting hole, wasting little time when the ground gave way under him and his wings carried him into open air.<p>

Freedom! Well, not quite but it was thrilling nonetheless. If the situation wasn't so dire, he would be swooping around with pure glee. But no time for that as he felt his homing instinct tug him towards the eastern horizon and he couldn't resist following it. Now all he has to do is keep his eyes open for guards and-

With a skip of his heart, Pip zoomed behind the final corner between him and freedom, peeking out to find a bunch of Paratroopas patrolling his only path home. Damn it! How was he expected to get past this?! If he went in another direction or bolted, he would be seen and he had little hope of getting away. He couldn't even outfly his brother, much less several highly-trained adult Paratroopas. Looks like his freedom will have to wait a little more. At least until the guards were less suited to stop his aerial escape.

Keeping in a growl of frustration, in case such a sound will draw unwanted attention, the young captive turned tail back towards his cell, moving quickly so as not to be spotted. But-

He froze when he saw the Dry Bones settling himself in that spot again. Rattles. Casting a glance around, Pip didn't know what his next move should be. This'll be his only opportunity to interact with the undead Koopa, but what if Rattles turned him in to Bowser for trying to escape? Well, the Dry Bones will have to catch him first and Pip felt confident he could easily escape the ground-bound skeleton if the need arises. With that in mind, he squandered his lingering feelings of unease and fluttered towards the star-gazing turtle, pausing a short distance away so as not to startle him. Then again, what did an already-dead Koopa have to be startled about? Feeling the sound of his wing-beats have given enough warning, he hesitantly flew closer and hovered several paces away. The Dry Bones did nothing to acknowledge him.

Clearing his throat, Pip spoke softly. "Hey, you're Rattles, right?" Nothing. "I'm Pip. I'm kinda new around here." Again, there was nothing. "Mind if I join you?" Absolutely nothing. Well, nobody said this was gonna be easy, but seeing as how a 'get lost' signal was not given, the Paratroopa landed beside him, wings ready to take off again at an instant's notice. But there seemed to be no cause for alarm as the skeleton showed no interest in lunging at him and, feeling a bit more at ease, Pip looked up at the sky as well.

As was the case of the night before, it was incredibly clear and full of stars, with a strong silver light shining off the full moon. It was peaceful and beautiful, but Pip didn't really understand the rapt attention. Regardless, he wasn't one to give up easily and he tried again to make some kind of connection.

"I notice you were out here last night, and I'm pretty curious, really. I've never seen a Dry Bones before." This got a head tilt and Pip felt his hopes rise before they sank once again; the Dry Bones was only reacting to a brief shower of falling stars rather than him. Keeping in a sigh, Pip decided to play Rattles' game and sat quietly, waiting for something to happen.

Rattles paid no mind to the Paratroopa beside him; he knew the other Koopa will leave eventually. After all, young Koopas, Paratroopas especially, tend to be full to the brim with energy and they find it hard to sit still for any lengthy amount of time. Give this new guy several minutes or a few hours at most and he'll go away and perhaps lose interest entirely. Rattles knew the drill well, as this happened several times before with curious Koopas that insisted on being by his side. Ignore them for long enough and they'll give up. It was harsh, yes, but it was the best thing to do, for both parties involved.

At least that's how he saw it.

And so hours past, and the Paratroopa, though a bit fidgetty and restless, stayed nonetheless. Only when the horizon began to brighten with the rays of the coming sun did Pip stand up and looked to the Dry Bones, a smile growing on his tired face.

"That was fun," he sorta-kinda lied. "But I gotta go before anyone notice I'm missing. See ya, Rattles." And with that, Pip took off towards his designated confinement, fluttering through the opening back into his cell. Only when Pip leave did Rattles finally do something. Lowering his head to gaze at his feet, he made soft and mournful mutters to himself, knowing he's chased away another potential friend. It never gets any easier, but the small pain involved in pushing away companionship was worth saving himself the greater pain in forever losing said companionship...

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><p>Introducing my favorite of my Mario OCs (that isn't evil anyway; I believe Crash has that honor :D) ! I love Rattles soooo much! But it would seem Pip would have to put some effort in if he wants to befriend this depressed lil pile of bones. Will he succeed? Find out later and review in the meantime!<p> 


	8. Progress?

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

**Moley Koopa- **If I love the species, it's getting an OC or two! And those OCs will likely make some kind of appearance in this story, given that it's my main Mario fic! And yes, it is quite a risky undertaking for little Pip, but worth it, especially if it helps out our little boney friend! And yes, Crash has no intention of changing his attitude anytime soon! :D  
><strong>S<strong>**pike Brigadier- **Yup, with what Kops explained, Pip no longer found a reason to be afraid of poor, harmless lil Rattles. And to think, he was so quick to judge him as a monster that night! And for some odd reason, when I read "immortal sad sack" I positively cracked up! XD Considering the fact that I'm feeling quite down as I type this, it was much appreciated!  
><strong>Elemental Queen- <strong>Thank you, I'm glad you've taken a liking to Rattles and his character, which is good! I always try my best to give everyone an interesting story, so even the bad guys will have character to them! :) Also, HUGGLES FOR ALL!

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><p><em>Chapter <em>7

"You alright, kid?" Kops asked in concern as the two Koopas took a break from their housekeeping job. Next to him, Pip seemed to be trying to stay awake, his head and wings drooping as he slumped against the wall. Upon hearing Kops' question, however, the Paratroopa perked up a bit with a hum of confirmation.

"Mm-hm..." He rubbed his eyes a bit, trying to get his voice working properly. "Why do ya ask...?"

"Well, just a moment ago, you looked like you were about to fall asleep with your face in the mop bucket." Kops stated, his words not at all exaggerated.

"I'm fine," Pip insisted, shaking himself out thoroughly to rid the obvious sleepiness plaguing his every move. He hasn't told Kops about his night spent with Rattles. He knew the Koopa Troopa would most certainly discourage it. Plus, how would he react if he knew Pip's been sneaking out in the first place?! He might find out about the loose block and have it fixed, or move him to another cell entirely! He wasn't going to risk that.

"If you say so," Kops stated, shifting his weight a bit on the upright broom he was currently leaning on. "If it helps keep you awake, King Koopa told me this morning that he wants to see you again after break."

And indeed, this got Pip with snap back to alertness and a scowl came across his face. His voice indignant, he crossed his arms as he responded with the first thing that came to his mind. "What did I do _this_ time?!"

"Well, maybe he's been hearing what you've been spouting out," Kops told him pointedly. "Things like that gets around quick."

Pip merely scoffed dismissively, trying to hide his anxiety of having to meet the King once again, no doubt to face some kind of punishment. And he kept up his mask even as their break ended and he followed his guardian to put their supplies away. When that was accomplished, Kops hurriedly led his charge towards the throne room, knowing just how short a fuse his King possessed. And impatient he was as his roars echoed through the castle a mere few seconds after the assigned meeting time.

"KOPS! I TOLD YOU TO GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!"

Said Koopa Troopa cringed, but nonetheless sped his strides, Pip struggling to keep up. He even had to flutter his wings to stay in tangent with his companion. Arriving at the door but staying out of sight of those inside, Kops then risked a moment to look back at Pip and whisper firmly. "Don't do anything stupid." And then, without waiting for the youngster to respond, Kops peeked into the main entrance.

"Here I am, sir. And I brought Pip, just as you ordered." he piped up without so much as a stutter and it amazed Pip how the older Koopa was able to keep his voice relatively unshaken despite the obvious intimidation in his demeanor. Years of practice, he presumed. Bowser seemed in a particularly sour mood at the moment and Pip felt his fear increase as a result. Did he really want to push this monster's buttons today? But even that perfectly sensible question was forcibly pushed aside as he stepped into the room. Already, his mind was working on how to get his usual defiance across without too much risk to himself and as King Koopa turned his attention to him, he decided to take pointers from a certain Dry Bones.

"Quite a little smart-mouth, aren't you, Paratroopa?" he hissed in a threatening tone. But much to his surprise, the teenager made no acknowledgement and simply looked the other way. Snorting, the King stepped closer, leering down at the much-tinier turtle. "Are you deaf, worm?" Again, Pip said nothing, closing his eyes so as not to make any sort of eye contact. His heart was racing a million beats per hour, but he forced himself not to even shiver.

And it seemed to be working as Bowser casted a glare to Kops, who merely shrugged in response, his head low in respective submission. He felt helpless in this situation as he knew better than to try and cover for the kid, especially since he already warned him to behave himself. The Koopa Troopa certainly knew how combustable his Royalty's temper was and unlike Pip, he had no intention of fanning the flames in any way, shape, or form. Returning his attention to the brat in front of him, Bowser once more snarled out his words, his voice getting deeper and much more menacing.

"You impudent little troll, look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Again, Pip forced himself not to react. And as if to further drive his point home, he yawned for the twentieth time that day, unable to really help himself but not complaining about its timing. And let's make the display of blatant disrespect even better by turning his head and nibbling on his wing feathers gently, feeling now was the perfect time for a preen. And it worked, almost too well. A large fireball zoomed past him, barely missing him, and the Paratroopa jumped backwards with a yelp. Looking back to Bowser with undisguised fear, the Paratroopa could barely keep in a whimper as more plumes of smoke seeped from the edge of Bowser's mouth. But, much to his relief, his terrified face was enough to appease the giant dragon and the King smirked triumphantly.

"That's better. Now, as for addressing your continued declarations of idiocy..." He reached out and opened a fisted hand, revealing a handful of golden coins. Pip hesitated in confusion, wary of the heap of shiny pieces of money, when the King once more spoke up. "You know what this is? This is your pay for _all_ the work you've been doing."

Although Pip tried his best not to show it, he was absolutely amazed. He hasn't been here for two full days yet, and already he's earned more money than his entire weekly allowance. He was just about to reach out to claim his pay when Bowser pulled it away, snickering darkly.

"And until you grow a brain and join my army, you won't be seeing a miniscule of any of it."

"Hey!" Pip blurted indignantly at the news, his wings fluffing up in agitation. "I earned that!"

"And isn't it a shame?" King Koopa chuckled tauntingly. "Knowing that no matter how much you keep busy, you'll end up with nothing in the end."

"Then I'm not working." Pip growled, glaring at his so-called 'superior'.

"Ah, so you prefer staying in your boring cell all day, everyday. Slowly wasting away mentally until there's nothing left but a hollow shell." At this point, Bowser laughed in malicious amusement. "A rather cruel fate to bestow so early on, but if you insist..."

Pip growled even more, knowing full well that the giant Koopa was right. His young mind demanded to be exercised on a daily basis and going crazy from the lack of stimulation will not help him in this situation at all. But he'll be damned if he actually admitted that. So instead, he huffed, turning his eyes away as he grumbled. "Fine. I'mma work, but not because of _you_. And it's not like I care about your stupid coins anyway." But it was quite obvious by his disgruntled attitude that he indeed cared that he was never gonna get paid for the work he's put in and the Koopa King was quick to rub it in.

"Then I suppose I should also tell you that out of your fellow recruits, 90 percent already swore allegiance to me." Bowser informed smugly with a laugh. "It's amazing how much money will change a Koopa."

"Well, it's gonna take a lot more than that to change me." Pip declared in determination. He tried his best not to show how much those words bothered him; his fellow villagers already gave up? No, it was just another lie. Regardless, Bowser seemed satisfied as he snorted in amusement at the continued challenge before waving them off and Kops made no hesitation in grabbing Pip's arm and dragging him out of the room.

"That was _too_ close," Kops muttered mostly to himself before his tone took a turn for the angry. "What the hell were you doing?! You almost got yourself roasted!"

"Almost, being the key word." was all Pip said in response, wincing heavily for some reason. However, Kops failed to notice as he continued his scolding.

"I told you not to do anything stupid! And what did you do? You went and did something stupid! Honestly, I don't even know why I bothered trying to..." The Koopa Troopa trailed off when he glanced back at his charge and noticed the pained expression on the youngster's face. Letting go of his arm, Kops saw that he had been gripping a small patch of slightly-burned scales on the Paratroopa's forearm. Seemed that fireball did make contact after all; luckily, it was just a brush. It did put the Kops' anger on hold though as he shook his head, examining the burn closely and running a finger over it gently to feel the youngster tense in pain.

"Looks like another trip to the Shy Guys are in order." Sighing to release whatever was left of his inward irritation, Kops led the way to the Medical Wing. "Come on, kid. I swear, they're gonna start to know you on a first name basis at this rate..."

Pip said nothing in response, busy trying to nurse his burn, his mind swimming in pain and anger. Stupid Bowser. Who does he think he is, burning his arm, taking his pay away, and mocking him all the way. Yet another soft growl was coming from his throat and it persisted the whole way there. Kops rolled his eyes a bit, but he said nothing as they arrived in the Medical Wing and filled out the paperwork. Luckily, the place wasn't too busy and soon enough, a black-garbed Shy Guy wearing a backpack wandered over to them with a clipboard. Upon seeing Kops, he grinned (it still confused Pip how the masks could change expressions).

"Hey, Kops! Haven't seen you in a while!" he chortled a greeting, apparently knowing the regarded Koopa Troopa well.

"What up, Tipo." Kops greeted back with a smile. "And yeah, I've been trying to avoid accidents for a while, so that I don't have to keep coming here. Looking at where I'm standing at the moment, you can see how well that's working."

"What happened to your cheek?" the Shy Guy asked, tilting his hooded head in a combination of curiosity and concern.

"Crash." was all he got for a response and that was all that was needed for an explanation. Although the Hammer Bro. held no ill will towards the Shy Guys, he wasn't exactly making a good impression with them by constantly sending in new victims...

"Ah," Tipo nodded a bit before getting back to business and he looked to Pip. "You're the patient?" Pip merely nodded and the Guy took a moment to look him over, unable to help himself from making an observation. "Hey, you're the needle-phobe." At this, the teen averted his eyes in embarrassment and he muttered the only thing he could think of.

"I'm sorry about that..." He never did apologize for the chaos he caused and he figured it was least he could do. He especially felt guilty that he's driven Doc into quiting the job entirely and he didn't want the other doctors thinking badly about him. Luckily, hard feelings towards him was far from Tipo's mind as he just gave a dismissive wave.

"Eh, that's alright. I wasn't even there. It was my day off."

"Wait," Pip squeaked, looking a bit alarmed. "If you weren't there, then how do you know _I'm_ the Paratroopa."

"Oh!" Tipo chirped cheerfully. "You were on our news board!" He glanced around to make sure his supervisor wasn't around before beckoning the two to follow. "I'll show ya!" He led the Koopa duo towards a door that said 'Employees Only' and opened it for them. Pip was hesitant about going into what he felt was a restricted area, but seeing Kops enter without a second thought, he followed. Tipo skipped after them merrily, bounding to a wall covered in various papers. Beaming, he pointed to one particularly large piece of paper.

Leaning for a closer look, Pip felt his embarrassment sky-rocket and he heard Kops trying his best to keep in a laugh. Smack dab in the middle of the poster was his picture and below it was a line of bold, colorful words.

**BEWARE THE PARATROOPA OF DOOM! IF HIS TREATMENTS REQUIRE NEEDLES, PLEASE BREAK THE EMERGENCY GLASS HERE**

An arrow pointed over to the left, towards a red case. And inside that Emergency case was...

"A tranquilizer gun?! _REALLY_?!"

* * *

><p>"Hey, the stars are extra bright this time." Pip muttered as he flew over to land beside Rattles after another failed attempt to slip past the aerial Lakitu guards. This was the fourth night since their first encounter and although one couldn't tell from his lack of response, Rattles was genuinely surprised. This was one persistent Paratroopa. He was sure the other Koopa gave up, especially since he didn't show up the night before. Maybe... "Sorry, I couldn't come last night. Kops insisted I take a nap and it took a lot longer than expected." He grinned deciding to share the story, as he usually did. "Man, I woke up and I asked Kops when dinner time was and he gave me this weird look. It was then that I realized it was morning. I was so very confused..."<p>

He didn't get any response, but he was used to it by now. Although he didn't seem to be making any progress here, he was far from giving up on this potential ally. Sitting down, he stared up at the sky, still wondering what the point was. The stars did seem brighter, but that didn't seem to warrant enough interest to stare at them all night. Huh, didn't that star used to be over there?

"I never noticed before how the stars move. That's pretty interesting really." He looked to the motionless Dry Bones. "But I really don't get how you can watch them for this long. I guess time doesn't really matter much to you anymore, huh?"

Still nothing. Returning back to the sky, Pip shifted a bit before allowing his mind to wander. This must be what the Dry Bones was really doing, he figured; just thinking about anything whilst calmly watching the beauty the universe had to offer. Wow, that was pretty deep for his usual thoughts. Maybe star-watching really does have benefits that he never saw before. He never would've had the patience for it back hom-

_Home_. He's been avoiding the subject for a while now. Yes, freedom and his village was always on his mind, but he refrained from actually thinking about his friends, his family. He wondered how his mother was doing without him, and what about his brother? Last he saw of him was when he was injured with a broken wing and sprained ankle, struggling to get Mom and himself to safety. Was Flit going to be alright? What if...what if he never got to see them again...?

The very thought was the single most horrifying thing to enter his mind. Deep within him, he's always had the nagging feeling that his efforts to escape was in vain and always will be. That no matter how hard he tried, he was never going to see his family ever again... For the first time since his capture, Pip felt his eyes sting a little as tears began to well up. He made efforts to keep himself from sobbing, as the break-down might draw unwanted attention, but it still did little to stop his sorrow.

He wanted to go home...

Rattles paused his thoughts and observations when he heard the sniffles coming from the Paratroopa beside him and for the very first time since their first encounter, the Dry Bones made a movement of acknowledgement. Turning his head, he paused as the young Koopa continued to cry, rubbing his eyes in a vain attempt to rid the tears. Pip didn't notice the gain of attention at first and instead he choked out his words, not expecting Rattles to notice as was usual.

"Sorry, I don't mean to cry like this, but..." He took a deep shaky breath and his voice got a bit louder in his grief, the entirety of his situation finally hitting him. "But I can't stand being here anymore! It's horrible! I just wanna go home and be with my mom and my brother! Everything was perfect and awesome and-and now I'm stuck here with some evil tyrant of a king, a murderous Hammer Bro. always at my tail, Koopas who all think I'm gonna wind up dead, and a Dry Bones that doesn't seem to notice that I exist! I can't-w...wait..." He sniffled before looking to the undead Koopa. "Y-you're looking at me..."

The Dry Bones just watched as the Paratroopa made another attempt to wipe away those tears.

"I...I thought..." He trailed off with another sniffle. "I'm sorry if what I said offended you...It's just that...I wanna go home, but I can't. It's like Bowser's purposely putting out guards just to keep me stuck here." At this, Rattles nodded and Pip paused. "You mean, he _is_ doing that?" Again, another nod, much to Pip's frustration. "I knew it! And lemme guess: he even put me in that easily-escaped-from cell on purpose just to mock me!" Nod. "You mean I wasted all that time and effort for _nothing_!? Ugh! Why can't he just let me go?! Can't he see that I want nothing to do with this place?!"

There was a bit of silence as Pip tried to regain his composure before looking back to Rattles. "You're probably gonna turn me in now, huh?"

After a brief moment of hesitation, Rattles shook his head. Although the Paratroopa is obviously trying to escape, he has no means of succeeding even if he tried his very hardest. Plus...he was the first Koopa in a while to spawn a reaction from him. That had to be worth something, right? Surprised by the answer, Pip was nonetheless grateful and his tears finally began to cease their flow. "Thanks..."

Rattles gave a single nod before returning his attention to the sky. Pip also looked to the stars, content to let the silence flow between them before a thought came to his mind. A thought that needed to be addressed and maybe even fixed. "Rattles, I know why you kept ignoring me... I know what happened with Boomer..."

At this, the Dry Bones froze before lowering his gaze, suddenly finding the ground way below them very interesting.

"I know you're just trying to avoid pain, but ignoring us isn't going to do it," Pip told him, fiddling with his hands a bit. "I'm sorry for using these terms on you, but living the lonely life isn't a good thing for Koopas like us..." He paused awkwardly, glancing at Rattles from the corner of his eye, hoping the Dry Bones wasn't offended. If he was, he wasn't showing it as he continued to watch the guard activity below. Swallowing a bit, Pip continued. "Whenever we got a pet, my mom used to always say how we're gonna lose them eventually. And that when that day comes, it's gonna hurt a lot. But we have to pick ourselves up and open our home to another pet. She says it's because the joy that a loving companion brings far outweighs the pain of losing them."

Talking about his mother like this was bringing more tears to his eyes, but at least he wasn't sobbing. Taking a deep shaky breath, he carried on softly. "You can think of it like that." Looking to the Dry Bones beside him, he wrung his hands a bit more as he attempted to speak the words his mind intended. "Pushing us away will save you from the pain of losing us, but it's also prolonging small amounts of that pain over a greater period of time. It hurts everytime you ignore us and your whole existence will be miserable and lonely if you keep it up. But if you accept our friendships again, and accept the fact that, yeah, you're gonna outlive us, and just enjoy the time you do have, it'll be better. For everyone involved."

More silence that seemed to last forever blanketed the air around them before Pip shook his head to try and dispense of the awkward atmosphere. "But the choice is always yours, Rattles. I'm just a stupid kid thinking outloud. I'm probably not even making sense." He never has been good at speeches, after all. And he didn't even know if it was making too much of an impact, as Rattles hasn't responded at all. Seems he's back at square one. Oh well...

Standing up after another passing length of time, Pip offered a smile to the motionless skeleton. "I'll see ya tomorrow night. Please think about what I said, even if you've probably heard it a million times before."

And with that, Pip took off back towards his cell, so his potential ally can hopefully contemplate his words for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>And the Pip vs Bowser rivalry strengthens. That's right, Pip, keep goading on that monstrous fire-breathing turtle, I'm sure that'll end well... But to balance out that bit of tension, Pip seems to have made a huge breakthrough with Rattles! But is it enough to sway the skeleton? Find out of the next chapter!<p>

P.S. Shy Guys are still adorable! :3


	9. Caught

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

**Moley Koopa- **I've been waiting a long while post up that notice board scene! Lol! I'm so glad it was a big hit as far as humor is concerned! As for your oddly specific prediction, lol, we'll wait and see!  
><strong>Elemental Queen- <strong>Thanks for the review! :D And yay! Another fan of the notice board scene! It makes me feel all warm inside, knowing I hadn't lost my touch! And thank you for liking the scene of cuteness at the end! Now let's see if the sweetness paid off!  
><strong>Virgofox28- <strong>Oooo! A new reviewer! Thank you for taking the time to not only read, but to also review! :D And also, great sense of timing! I was just about to submit this chapter! As for your prediction, we'll have to wait and see! ;)

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><p><em>Chapter 8<em>

It was a strange night, as Rattles wasn't there. Hovering in their usual meeting spot, Pip casted his confused gaze all around, trying to locate the missing skeleton. Where was he? The troubling thought that last night's pep talk might have pushed him away crept its way into Pip's mind and he hung his head. He didn't mean to drive the Dry Bones away when he made his speech; he genuinely wanted the undead creature to feel better and be happier with his immortal existence. But it seems that, like everything else lately, has back-fired.

Oh well, maybe tomorrow night will be different and he'll learn that Rattles simply needed more time to think. Fluttering back towards his cell, he froze and hid as a Paratroopa patrol crossed his path, blocking his usual route back to his room. Damn it, how was he gonna sneak back now? Maybe he can find a different path. Trying to stay as silent as he could, he glided soundlessly back to his Meeting Spot, landing softly and casting a look about for a door. After all, Rattles had to have a way of getting to and fro. Spotting a trap-door like opening on the floor, he approached it slowly and cautiously opened it, revealing a stairwell. After making sure the coast was clear, he slipped inside.

He didn't recognize this place at all, though that shouldn't surprise him. This castle was huge and he doubted he's explored every inch of it. He wasn't even halfway down the stairwell and already he had the feeling of being lost. And the feeling certainly didn't get better as he arrived to the darkened hallways and began heading down them. The only thing helping him was a vague sense of direction that he should be heading towards the right side of the castle, and that definitely wasn't enough to guide him back to his cell. Should he take this turn, or maybe-

"A bit late for walk, isn't it?" a voice growled behind him and he would've taken off if something didn't grab his wings roughly and threw him a short distance right into the wall. Groaning in dazed pain, Pip looked up to see Crash glaring at him. Oh boy... Shaking his stunned state off, Pip felt a jolt of panic as the Hammer Bro. stormed towards him and he scooted back to get away only to feel the wall behind him. But he didn't care as he continued to try to scoot back, practically scrambling before Crash took hold of his throat.

Barely managing to squeak in terror, his wide eyes stared in horror as he recalled Kops' words on what would befall him if he's caught in this situation. Crash leered over him before pulling out a hammer, snickering his words tauntingly. "Trying to escape? You know what the penalty for that is? I think you do."

Oh, no... Pip could already imagine all sorts of blood-shed, and it took everything he had to keep his thoughts together and respond in a desperate attempt to save himself the punishment otherwise in store for him. "N-No! I'm not t-trying to escape! I..." He swallowed the growing lump in his throat before continuing, strong shivers running down his spine. "I was just looking for a friend!"

Unfortunately, this didn't get him free, nor did Crash look moved by his response. Instead, the Hammer Bro. huffed before hissing out his words. "With such high stakes, I would've thought you'd come up with a more original excuse, Paratroopa."

Pip knew that the larger Koopa was taunting him, toying with him, and it scared him even more. This guy really was a sadist, on both a physical and psychological level. He was enjoying that the young child was utterly terrified of this situation, especially since that hammer was still an ominous presence. Gathering his wits once again, he tried desperately to convince his assaulter that he was telling the truth. "No, really! My friend's a Dry Bones. Named Rattles."

He was hoping that by mentioning the identity of his 'friend', his words would be a bit more credible, that it would be seen that he wasn't making it up on the spot. Plus, Dry Bones were obviously one of the species exempt from the curfew rule and maybe his explanation could count as a voucher or something. However, fate was not smiling down on him tonight as Crash broke out in malicious laughter.

"Rattles? That useless skeleton?!" Suddenly, Crash cut off his laughter to replace it with a hostile glare. "He has no friends, so try again. I'll give you ten seconds to find an excuse stupid enough to work."

"Bu...but..." Pip didn't know what else to say, as his mind's drawing a blank.

"Time's up," Crash snarled before grinning in a psychotic pleasure. He rose the hammer, ready to strike and Pip closed his eyes in pure terror, bracing himself for the pain that's sure to come...

_"Wait!"_ It was a clear word, though spoken not in English. It was in the natural Koopa language, though a raspy chittering dialect Pip has never heard before. Regardless, Crash stop mid-strike to look back and Pip opened his eyes to see-

"Rattles!" the young Koopa exclaimed in gleeful relief, unable to help himself despite his still precarious position. The Hammer Bro. holding him hostage glared at the undead creature, not at all pleased by this interference on several levels. The intervention was annoying in and of itself, but now he had no choice but to accept that the Paratroopa's words had some weight after all. He snorted, shifting his gaze a bit on the ground.

"So the kid wasn't lying. Too bad," he muttered in genuine disappointment, as he was hoping for a bloodbath tonight. Seems he'll have to wait a bit longer for his chance to beat on this defiant newcomer. Speaking of which, he returned his attention to Pip. "Count your lucky blessings, because next time I catch you wandering afterhours, I won't be nearly so merciful."

With that, he released his strangling hold on the kid before turning his full attention to Rattles, approaching the Dry Bones with his usual menacing air. The skeleton stood his ground calmly, despite the fear welling up inside of him. Fear was a rare thing for him to feel in this existence; however, he knew all too well that although he was largely immortal, hammers were not something he was immune to, and Crash had a history of offing Dry Bones permanently. But still, Rattles stayed where he was without a single chitter even as Crash took hold of his shell's front rim, pulling his face close as he growled hatefully.

"You better enjoy this new 'friend' of yours while he lasts, because I promise you that you're just gonna end up losing him. Just like you lost me. Just like you lost Striker..." His breath got a bit shaky at the mention of his brother, but he covered it by flashing a malicious grin, knowing where to hit to make it hurt the most with this particular Koopa. "And just like you lost Boomer."

Rattles felt a stab where his heart used to be and he kept his beak shut so as not to let a whimper escape. Instead, he narrowed his glowing yellow eyes angrily at the painful taunt, trying his best not to show his distress at hearing those words. At least being dead meant he couldn't tear up, as he no doubt would've if he was alive. Hell, even a newbie like Pip knew that that was a low blow and he couldn't help himself.

"Hey! L-leave Rattles alone!" he exclaimed in a frightened but demanding voice. However, Crash only glanced at him from over his shoulder before scoffing, returning his glare to his current target.

"While. He. Lasts." the Hammer Bro. hissed in further emphasis before practically hurling the undead creature straight into a wall. Smashing into the hard surface head-first, -much to Pip's horror-, Rattles crumbled into pieces and the young Paratroopa cried out.

"Rattles!" He couldn't believe it! Did Crash just... Hearing another huff, he saw the Hammer Bro. depart without another word and it took everything Pip had not to break down on the spot. Staring at the motionless pile of bones, Pip whimpered as his eyes began to tear up. Rattles was gone forever, and he did nothing to stop it. First the Lakitu, now this. How was he going to justify this to anyone, justify this to himself? Rattles was only trying to help him and now...

Finally feeling the sob rising from his throat, Pip was about to bury his face into his hands when movement caught his eye. Movement from... To his amazement, the skeletal pieces were reattaching themselves to the shell and some invisible force brought the head back to the correct spot on the body. Within seconds, the eyes were once more glowing yellow and Rattles stood up, shaking his head to clear off the lingering blackness in his vision. Looking about, he saw Crash was gone and the Paratroopa staring at him.

"You...You're okay!" Pip squeaked in stunned disbelief. Rattles tilted his head at this, but then realized that this was the first time Pip would've seen something like that, what with Rattles being the first and only Dry Bones he's seen. Smiling softly with a nod, the walking skeleton wandered over to the young Koopa and held out a gloved hand. Pip could feel his tears turn from that of sorrow to that of happiness and he shakily accepted the hand and allowed Rattles to pull him to his feet. "You saved me there."

Again Rattles nodded softly, his smile disappearing as he stared off in the direction Crash left. Feeling crestfallen as well, Pip glanced back and forth between the Dry Bones and the dark hallway. When he did speak, it was in a soft whisper as he knew this would be painful to his companion.

"You...used to be friends with him...?" Rattles didn't respond for a moment before nodding slowly. It seemed like a long time ago; in fact, Rattles owed his very existence to that Hammer Bro., for it was Crash and Striker that turned in his dead body to Bowser in the first place. Now, however, the Hammer Bro. he knew was long gone, replaced by a monster he no longer recognized. He knew that if given the chance, Crash would be more than happy to send him back into the dark abyss known as Death.

Feeling the uncomfortable atmosphere, Pip tried to change the subject to something less emotional. "And you can talk?" It surprised him, as he recalled Kops telling him that the Dry Bones was practically mute and the time he spent star-gazing with him produced not even an utter. Turning his gaze to the Paratroopa, Rattles nodded softly as he tried to recover from his previous sadness. Curious, Pip wondered to what extent could this skeleton talk and he knew he had to find out. "Can you speak English?"

Again, Rattles paused before giving a more uncertain nod, clearly indicating that he felt his English wasn't too good just yet. He can speak Koopa just fine, but getting his vocal chords synchronized right to form coherent words of English took a bit more practice. Practice he spent when he's alone, muttering the words in practical whispers to himself. Ever since Boomer left him, he's been determined to relearn how to speak and he felt he's been making pretty decent progress in the last few years.

"So, you just choose not to talk?" Pip questioned even more, earning a more confident nod and a smile. Pip smiled back, understanding. "Only on emergencies, huh?" Another nod and the Paratroopa chuckled a bit, wiping off his tears as he felt everything was alright, for now anyways. "Well, I'm glad you deemed that situation an emergency," Replacing that humor with more genuine gratitude, he flashed the friendliest smile he could manage. "Thanks, buddy."

_Buddy._ Rattles hasn't heard that word for years, especially with it being directed at him. It felt strange, but in a good way. Returning the friendly smile with his own, he nodded a 'you're welcome', soft chitters sounding from his throat. And although those chitters held no linguistic value, they did communicate Rattles' own grateful feeling of gaining a true friend once again. And he'll do everything in his power to keep Crash's ominous prediction from coming true...

* * *

><p>"Hey, Kops," Pip muttered as he nommed on an omelette, the Koopa Troopa sitting across from him glancing over from chatting with Pyro and Inferno. Noting the serious look on the youngster's face, Kops knew this was an important question and he couldn't even verbally share the fact that he was all ears before Pip continued. "Do..." He felt his voice falter and he covered the hesitation by taking another bite of his breakfast, his serious look unaffected by his full cheeks. Chewing as he rethought whether asking this was a good idea, he knew he had nothing left to lose when it comes to this topic; might as well just spit it out. He swallowed his food, knowing better than to talk with his mouth full. "Did you know about the loose block in my cell?"<p>

"What...?" Kops hesitated, visibly stiffening as the Fire Bros. exchanged glances. Pip watched their reactions carefully, and he felt a flash that he made a mistake. Great, now he lost his chance. Yes, Rattles expressed that the whole thing was a cheap trick by Bowser, but that didn't change the fact that his 'warden' might not have known about it at all and now he might get the wrong idea. Finally, after a few long moments of silence, Inferno was the one who spoke up.

"You were kept in one of the special cells?" he asked and Pip blinked. 'Special cell'? Where did he hear that term before? Before he could question, his mind instantly recalled the conversation between Bowser and Kops on his first personal meeting with the Koopa King. The 'special' cell must've meant that-

"So you did know, Kops." Pip huffed, glaring at his guardian. "And why didn't you tell me?!"

"Uh..." The Koopa Troopa looked over to the elites for support, and they only shook their heads in clear communication that they were smart enough to stay out of this. Returning his attention back to Pip, he cleared his throat and regained his calm composure, knowing he had no real reason to be flustered. "I didn't tell you simply because I wasn't allowed to share the details on what made your cell so 'special'. You were supposed to find _that _out on your own. The loose block is another recruit-breaking method from Bowser."

"All my time and effort..." Pip couldn't help but mutter, his head and wings drooping.

"Exactly," Kops nodded. "It's meant to install a sense of hopelessness, and looking at you now, it seemed to have worked."

Pip glared at the Koopa Troopa, still angry that his companion didn't warn him about it sooner. Well, what did he expect from a Bowser-loyal Koopa? If it wasn't for Rattles, he would've never found out that this was all just a set up to begin with and he would still be making his failed attempts. Well, if Kops was going to be like that, then maybe-

He cut off his thoughts when he saw the sudden stunned look on said Koopa Troopa's face. Tilting his head, he saw the look spread to Pyro and Inferno and a flash of confusion swept over him. What's going on? He could tell it wasn't a reaction to something he did or said. They were looking directly behind him and he turned his head to see Rattles by the door, glancing around with a sense of nervousness.

"He..." Kops started. "He's here. He never comes here anymore, not since Boomer..."

It was clear what a surprise this turn of events was, and the surprise only got more intense as Pip raised up a hand and called out to the skeleton. "Hey, Rattles! Over here!"

The Dry Bones looked over to him and a relieved-looking smile grew on his beak before he wondered over, Pip scooting over so he can sit beside him. Settling by the young Koopa, the undead newcomer looked over to the other three, tilting his head at their expressions of shock. Pyro was the first to snap out of it and an overjoyed expression quickly took over.

"Hey, Rattles! We didn't expect you to be here! Long time, no see!" he chirped, his words freeing the other two from their stunned state as well, equally joyed to have their old friend back.

Rattles felt his sense of awkwardness slowly ebb away. When he first stepped into the lunchroom, he felt out of place amongst the living and that feeling only led him to the belief that he would be unwelcomed to re-enter into their fold. But with Kops, Pyro, and Inferno making such a big and celebratory fuss around him, he knew such feelings were unfounded and he was as welcomed now as he always was and always will be.

* * *

><p>Rattles is back in business! Yayz! Now that the main trio is established, let's get the sweet bonding moments and the heart-breaking dramas underway! :D<p> 


	10. Inner Pain

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

**Moley Koopa- **Oh, don't worry, although this does have the potential to be an endless fic, it does have a plot, and an end...and a sequel! :D  
><strong>Elemental Queen- <strong>Yay, I managed to succeed in making the scene a suspenceful one! I be thanking you for your review!  
><strong>Virgofox28<strong>- Indeed! Yay for Rattles! I was actually surprised you reviewed again as most new reviewers don't bother, but I'm certainly not complaining! *glomps!* Thanking you!

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><p><em>Chapter 9<em>

"You know, I'm starting to notice a trend with you, Pip," Kops started as he, Pip, and Rattles walked down the hall, each carrying cleaning supplies. The Paratroopa looked over at Kops questioningly as he continued with his 'discovery'. "When I tell you not to do anything stupid, you do something stupid. When I tell you not to make any escape efforts, you try to escape. When I tell you not to run towards bloodcurdling screams, you run towards the bloodcurdling screams. When I told you to leave Rattles alone, you somehow managed to make friends with him."

At this, both Pip and Rattles grinned, both knowing exactly where this is going and they weren't disappointed when Kops finished his train of thought. "I think you function on reverse psychology. Either that, or you're unbelievably stupid..."

Okay, that last part wasn't exactly expected and Pip seemed quite insulted. "Hey!"

"Face it, kid. You're not exactly the brightest bulb in the..." Kops trailed off as he stiffened, staring at a door. The other two looked over as well and their beaks fell open. Crash's room, with the 'Do Not Disturb' sign removed. Sighing in preparation, Kops muttered as he began to turn his attention back to Pip. "Okay, kid. We need to remain calm and... What the-?"

His eyes were met with an empty space where the Paratroopa used to be. Dumbfounded for an instant, the Koopa Troopa facepalmed as a mumble came from his beak. "And I should've just told him to make a run for it, huh?" Rattles merely shrugged, staring in the direction Pip took off as Kops dropped his supplies and began to dart after the retreating figure. "Quick! After him! He's still too fat to fly!"

_Stupid waffles!_ Pip thought to himself, his wings flailing in a vain effort to take off. He knew trying to see how many waffles he could stick into his stomach during dinner was a bad idea, and yet he did it anyway. Maybe Kops was right with that stupidity comment... Casting a look over his shoulder, he saw his companions giving chase and he tried to go faster, feeling his still-full stomach slowing him down considerably. Making a sharp turn, Pip yelped as he slid to a stop, Kops crossing his arms in front of him. How did-? Within an instant, he spotted the answer to his unfinished mental question: an adjacent hallway that was no doubt a shortcut that Kops took advantage of. Looking back, Pip saw Rattles sliding into view from behind the corner and blocking his way back. Groaning, Pip slumped in defeat as his guardian took his arm and led him back towards the room.

"Do we have to, man? He tried to kill me the other night!"

"He tries to kill someone _every_ night," Kops responded in a strange combination of annoyance, nervousness, and boredom. "Don't think that excuses you from working."

"But...but can't we take a break?" Pip tried to stall, to which Kops merely shook his head.

"We just got off from our dinner break fifteen minutes ago, remember?"

"Rattles! Help me out here!" Pip squeaked desperately, to which the Dry Bones gave a look that basically said: 'Sorry, buddy. I would love to help, but you have a job to do and I can't stop that'. Whimpering as they arrived back to the room, Kops looked to him and some genuine sympathy grew on his face.

"It'll be fine, kid. He can't hurt you and he won't hurt you." He gathered the supplies, handing them to the frightened youngster. "Let's just get this over with." He glanced to Rattles. "You don't have stick around. We'll completely understand." After all, Rattles was only volunteering to help and had no obligation to go any further. The undead turtle certainly seemed a bit hesitant about going into the room of a mass murderer, but seeing the obvious fear in Pip's demeanor prompted the skeleton to gather his own bundle of cleaning utilities. Smiling in appreciation, the Koopa Troopa hesitantly knocked on the door and announcing himself in as calm a manner as he can pull off.

Every single second of waiting was filled with the sound of his pounding heart in his ears. Pip tried his best to stay strong and he kept in a whimper as the door creaked open and Crash glared out at them. "About time," he snarled, opening the door wider. "Get in here and make it quick!" All three of the other Koopas nodded and Kops hurried in, followed by Rattles, and finally-

Pip yipped as his wings were grabbed in a familiar hold just as he was rushing to his friends. Unable to keep back a shiver, it took everything he had to remain calm and convince himself that he would be alright as Crash sneered.

"Ah, so _you're_ the new cleaner for this section," he growled before smirking. "How unfortunate for you." Not releasing his hold on the child's wings, he turned his attention to Kops. "Think you've trained this little brat well enough?"

The Koopa Troopa paused, sensing a note of threat within those words. Keeping himself together, he gave a firm nod, hoping his answer wouldn't backfire. Unfortunately, his hopes weren't enough and the Hammer Bro. snickered maliciously.

"Let's just see about that, shall we?" Crash taunted before looking back to Pip, his smirk never dying even when he gave a low dominating growl. "We're going to play a little game, Paratroopa. Clean my room on your own and without mishap, and you'll be fine. Make a mistake, and you'll earn yourself a small bit of pain. Three strikes, and that small pain becomes anything but."

"You...you can't hurt me," Pip tried to put on his act of defiance as a mask, his shaky words not helping much in that department. "I-I'm not breaking any rules, a-and Bowser didn't order you to..."

"Ah, but you're in _my_ room. My rules." Crash hissed before shrugging dismissively. "And we all know you're going to die anyways, so what's a few little instances of abuse going to do?" Chuckling darkly at the teenager's look of fear, he pushed the Paratroopa away, Pip stumbling to keep balance. "You got 30 minutes to finish, so I suggest you get started."

"Hey!" Kops finally spoke up as Pip shakily began gathering his supplies. "You know Pip has a point, Crash. You can't just-"

"And who are you exactly?" the Hammer Bro. sneered, glaring at smaller Koopa. "Oh, yes. You're a lowly, expendable little Koopa Troopa, whom nobody would notice go missing if such an unfortunate thing were to occur."

At this threat of death, Kops forced his beak shut, glaring back at the elite soldier even as he backed off a few steps, pushing Rattles into doing the same. Having reminded them of their place, Crash returned his attention to Pip, who tried to ignore the tense atmosphere and treat this like any other room he's worked on. Organizing his stuff quickly, his thoughts weren't nearly so prepared and he mentally scrambled to remember what his first step was supposed to be. The bedroom, of course! Hurrying towards the connecting corridors, Pip could hear Crash following at a leisure pace, trailed by Kops and Rattles.

However, Pip hesitated when he reached the rooms, glancing back and forth between them. Which one was the one Kops told him not to open? In his currently stressful situation, he couldn't remember and he casted a nervous glance over his shoulder towards his two friends. Both Kops and Rattles casted glances towards the right-side bedroom, trying to communicate that that was the correct room to enter. However, Pip misinterpreted the message and thought that it was the room to avoid.

Going to the left-side room, Pip started to open it when a powerful force slammed it shut with such violence that Pip's arm felt a jolt of pain. Nor was that the only pain he was going to feel when he felt a small slash on that same arm. Crying out, he jumped back and gripped the now-bleeding injury, his terrified gaze on Crash as said Hammer Bro. snarled at him. In his hand was a hammer, the sharper end dripping a bit of blood.

"First strike." the elite Koopa barked maliciously.

"But," Pip started, feeling a strong need to save himself as much of these strikes as possible. "But that shouldn't count!"

"My room, my rules," Crash emphasized. "First strike. Now get back to work."

Picking himself back up, Pip hurried to the other room, trying to ignore his pain to keep focus on NOT messing up again. Nervously fixing the bed, he allowed a curious eye to scan the room. If he was shown this room out of context, he wouldn't have guessed that it belonged to a psychopath. He expected a dark room, with all sorts of morbid imagery and slashed up pictures of the things the Hammer Bro. hates. But instead, it was a well-lit, unassuming room with a red color scheme. He could possibly link the red to the color of blood, but that was stretching it.

Finishing the bedroom and bathroom without incident, he felt a spark of confidence through his nervousness as he hurried to the living room. Cleaning quickly, he then hurried to the kitchen, cringing a bit when Crash spoke up.

"You got five minutes left."

Pip's heart skipped a beat and he sped up his work, washing and drying what dishes there were before wiping the counters as fast and as thoroughly as he could possibly pull off. In the vague part of his frantic mind, he hoped that not every visit here would be like this; he didn't know if he'd be able to handle it.

"Ten seconds." Crash hissed, a smirk spreading on his beak as Pip scrambled with the finishing touches, rummaging through his supplies for a paper towel. "Five...four..." Found it! Pip tore at the plastic wrapping in a panic, almost ripping the paper roll itself in his desperation. "Three...two..." He hurried to the counter to put it up, the task completed just as the last word was uttered. "One."

"Done!" Pip exclaimed, feeling as though he was about to collapse. Backing off as Crash wandered to the counter, he held his breath as the Hammer Bro. examined his work. Mentally crossing his fingers, he hoped with every fiber of his being that he did well enough to satisfy the murderous Koopa. Although he only had one strike against him, he knew his fate and this "game's" rules were _not_ in his own hands. After a tense moment, Crash growled and turned to him with a snarling glare.

_Oh, no!_ Pip's thoughts panicked. _I messed up and I don't have time to fix it! I'm so dead! _He backed up a few paces into his friends' company, and the two stood by him protectively. However, Crash merely shoved them aside and Pip shut his eyes tight in painful anticipation. He felt an extremely tight grip on his arm and he yelped as he was dragged towards the door and literally thrown out. Fluttering his wings to make a safe landing, Pip blinked and looked back. He saw Kops and Rattles show themselves out and the door slammed shut behind them.

Realizing that he won the game and was safe once more, Pip sighed in relief as he finally fulfilled his body's wishes and collapsed in an unceremonious heap, as if content to spend the night sleeping right then and there. His heart was still pounding hard enough to pain his chest and he startled when Kops walked over to help him up.

"You alright, kid?" the Koopa Troopa asked as Rattles busily went through their First Aid kit. Wincing as the skeleton carefully treated his arm, Pip could barely manage a mutter, his voice completely wiped out.

"Can I go to bed now?" It was a bit earlier than the usual time he turned in, but given what just happened, he was surprised he was still functioning.

"Sure, kid. And look at the bright side: you're still alive and tomorrow's my day off, so technically, it'll be _your_ day off too." Kops informed him, glad to see a soft smile come to the youngster's tired face.

"That's a relief..."

"Yeah," Kops continued. "I'll let you out of your cell tomorrow morning, but I have to run some errands. You can meet Rattles in the Lunch Room." He grinned a bit, the lingering feelings of discomfort fading completely as he jokingly 'tested' his reverse psychology. "Try to get yourself completely lost and please abuse my trust in you by trying to escape while you're at it."

"I'll try my best..." Pip joked back before attempting to fall asleep as he was led back towards his room, leaving that insane Hammer Bro. and his stupid room far behind...

* * *

><p>Tonight could possibly be the night he ends this whole thing. Although the time read 1:38 AM, he felt not the least bit tired as he got out of bed and restlessly wandered to the bathroom. Turning the sink on and splashing water onto his face, he paused as he turned his attention to the mirror, his own image looking back at him with sharp, glaring, almost self-loathing eyes. Was this really what his existence amounted to? Taking the only amount of joy that existed to him exclusively in the misery of others, in some vendetta that was ultimately going nowhere under King Bowser's restraints? Yup, this was certainly going to be one of those nights.<p>

Leaving the bathroom and his bedroom entirely, he walked across the corridor to another door, a door forbidden from prying eyes. Without hesitation, he took the knob and opened it, stepping into the room without even flipping the switch on. At times like this, he much preferred walking in darkness. Casting his gaze around, everything was exactly the way his brother left it, dusted clean in the last five years by his own hands, but nothing rearranged in the slightest. Every time he came in here, it felt like his sibling never left him at all and will return at any moment now. Walking to the nightstand by the bed, he gently picked up a picture frame, holding it like it was the most delicate thing in the world.

Staring at the photo within, he saw the happy expressions of he and his twin at a much younger age with their helmets still too big to fit their heads properly. They were clearly in the middle of a play-fight, but they nonetheless took time from their rough-and-tumble game to make faces at the camera. These were much more innocent times, before the concept of losing each other even began to form in their minds. He would do anything to recover that sense of naïveté, if just for a moment. He felt tears sting his eyes and he made no effort to hold them back, knowing that his resistance would be futile.

Choking a bit on his breaths, he eventually forced himself to remove his eyes from the picture and place it back down in its original spot, turning his attention to the window. Taking a look outside, he stared off at a particular point in the horizon, feeling a sense of beckoning as was usual whenever he gazed out this particular window. Looking about the room one last time, as if ingraining its image in his head, he walked out without a sound, but not back into his own room. He left his unit altogether and traveled the silent halls that he knew so well from his nightly patrols for curfew violators. But tonight, he held no such interest as he made his way out of the castle and into the world outside.

His path was a predetermined one, a journey made many times in the past. It wasn't too long a trip, fifteen minutes if he bothered to time it. Nearby was an abandoned Koopa village, but he paid it no attention as his eyes focused to a soft patch of earth by the base of a large tree. Such a thing wouldn't draw the attention of a passer-by, unless they were curious of the two hammers positioned in an 'X' by some rope. Once that has been taken into account, one would quickly understand the importance of this site.

Silently walking towards the grave of his brother, he lowered himself to his knees and gently ran a hand over the ground. The tears had returned at full force, streaming down his cheeks as soft sobbing noises rose from his throat. Despite the obvious distress this place brought to him, he felt content to stay here for all eternity, which was something he contemplated doing on multiple occasions before this one. It's obvious his alternative solution wasn't working; the others were much too cowardly and weak to get the job done. If he wanted peace, he'll have to do it himself...

Pulling out a hammer, he stared at it long and hard for what felt like hours. It would be easy; this weapon has taken many lives and his would be no different. Just a single slash in a well-placed spot would do it. Already, he was beginning to dig the sharper end into the scales of his wrist before he stopped himself. No, this wasn't the way he wished to go. It would bring him great pleasure to reunite with his sibling, far greater pleasure than any he would get in spilling the blood of his lower-ranking enemies, but not this way.

Dropping the blood-tipped hammer, he closed his eyes with relative calmness and laid himself down on the bed of earth. If just for tonight, let him join his brother in this spot. For hopefully, Crash will spend his eternity in this place of bliss... Someday...

* * *

><p>Sad ending to the chapter, hopefully to build up some sympathy as I like my villains to have <em>some<em> character other than evil sadism ;) ! The scene's inspired by the song _Even in Death_ by Evanescence. I recommend checking it out, as it pretty much sums up the grieving sorrow still residing within Crash (along with _Like You_ by the same band). And oh look! Yet another tense meeting between him and Pip; will it ever end? But hey, tomorrow's Pip's first day off, so how much trouble could he _possibly_ get into... *coughcough*

Oh yeah! And I also have drawings of some of the characters posted on my profile. If you're interested, you can check those out, but be sure to only stay with what's linked if you don't want too much spoilers.


	11. Hollow

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

**Moley Koopa- **Yayz! I hoped you like those pics, even if they're not very good! *hugs* And that scene showing a different side of Crash was something I've been eager to do, and I'm glad it was well received by ya, buddy!  
><strong>Virgofox28<strong>- No worries, I'm sometimes too lazy to log in myself! XD And thankfully, Crash is fine (or alive, I should say; as being a tad bit suidical probably doesn't qualify as being 'fine'). He wouldn't be too great an antagonist if he gets killed off so early in the story!  
><strong>Jakeroo-<strong> A new reviewer and I already love how insightful you are! You actually brought up a point that I've been planning to address later on, so kudos! I really do hope to hear from you again and I hope you continue to enjoy my story! :)

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 10<em>

"Change of plans, kid." Kops stated as he opened the cell door, finding the bed empty and the Paratroopa perched high up on the window ledge. Gazing into the outside world had become a regular activity to him, one that strengthened his resolve with each new day and relaxed him even in his most irritated mood. Upon hearing his guardian's words however, even the bright clear morning outside did little to prevent Pip from immediately feeling a bit on the defensive as he crossed his arms with a scoff.

"Lemme guess: Bowser's still butthurt about me not joining his stupid army and now he decided that I can't have a day off?" He asked with a bit of a sharp tone, fully expecting the Koopa Troopa to nod in confirmation. After all, it did sound like something the tyrant would do. But to his surprise, Kops shook his head as he kept himself from rolling his eyes at Pip's hostility.

"Overworking you isn't going to do him any good, kid. Even hard-headed recruits like you need a break sometimes," he told the grouchy teenager before continuing with the real reason for his announcement. "Actually, something came up for Rattles. He wants to meet you in the Bone Room instead."

"Bone Room?" Pip asked, tilting his head. "What's that?" It sounded like a pretty dangerous place, like some kind of sacrificial chamber or something. Already he could imagine the floor of such a chamber being coated with years worth of skeletons and rotting bodies. Why exactly would he want to go to a place like that?

"Don't worry," Kops reassured, seeing the spark of fearful nervousness in the young Koopa's face. "I wouldn't send you into a death trap. It's just a place where Dry Bones and Boos like to hang out."

"Oh..." Pip muttered, a relieved look spreading across his features.

"Here, I'll give you some directions." Kops said as Pip fluttered down to him and they wandered out of his cell, pausing just outside the door as the older Koopa pointed down the hall. "It's actually close-by the Lunch room. Just take a left on the last turn instead of a right. Then you take the second right, then the third left, first right, and down the hall around the corner." He turned to Pip. "You got that?"

"I think so..." Pip muttered, not really confident in his sense of direction, but it didn't seem too difficult. "How will I know if I'm in the right place?"

"Well, if Rattles isn't there when you arrive, it's a round domed chamber, with several doors bordering it. There might be a Boo or a Dry Bones there, so they could probably help you if you're not sure."

"Okay..." the Paratroopa responded with a nod and Kops smiled before turning away.

"Good luck, kid. My first errand shouldn't take me too long, so I'll stop by to check up on ya. If you get lost, I'll rescue your whimpering tail." he said with a chuckle as he walked away and Pip paused for a moment to do something he rarely ever did: think ahead. For the first time since his capture, he's alone _outside_ his cell. It seems like a perfect opportunity to make an escape attempt. But then again, if he failed as he usually did, he'll never be trusted on his own again. Maybe he should wait until a later time, build up everyone's comfort level and lower their guard. Then he'll make a break for it when they least expect it. Agreeing with himself on that, he began heading for this Bone Room place...

And he was lost already. He knew well how to get to the Lunch Room, but Kops' directions began to mix in his mind and he was second-guessing himself. It didn't help that the halls all look the same, at least to him. Fiddling with his hands, he began to call out, just in case his friend was within hearing distance.

"Rattles?! Rattles, if you can hear me, can you help!?" Nothing but his own echoes, but he continued nonetheless. "Rattles!" Did Kops say to take a left or a right here? He was pretty sure he said left on the second turn. And there's a corner and he peeked over to see another hall ending in a stairway rather than a domed chamber. Back tracking, he tried again on another route, taking the right. "Rattles! C'mon, man, where are you?!"

Still there wasn't anything in response and Pip was starting to really worry. He wasn't expecting much of a verbal reply, true, but a few acknowledging chitters or clatterings would be nice. Arriving to a chamber out of pure luck, he saw that it was domed, just as Kops said, with several doors visible from the entrance hall. However, it was completely empty of life...or death...or undead. His head began to hurt.

Maybe he's looking in the wrong place. No, he was sure this is where Kops told him to be. Just how many domed chambers can there be in this castle? Sitting down by the entrance he arrived in, he waited for a few moments, wings fidgeting in paranoid restlessness. He still found it strange how he hasn't met any Dry Bones or Boos ye-

Oh, nevermind! Feeling a wave of relief, Pip saw a distant skeletal figure enter through another hall on the opposite side of the chamber and head into a room, closing the door behind him. Finally, someone who can put his mind to ease! And who knows, maybe the other Dry Bones will know where Rattles is. Standing up and dashing ahead towards the door, Pip pulled it open and stepped inside. A long, dark hallway awaited him, somehow even darker than usual. This one didn't even have the occasional lantern hanging on the wall. But not going to let something as trivial as darkness stop him from locating his potential helper, Pip allowed his eyes to adjust before heading further, leaving the door open so he'll be able to use the light to find his way back if need be.

He wondered where this tunnel led. It seemed to have a downward slant to it, like it was heading deeper and deeper into the earth. Maybe it was leading to the basement or something. Did castles have basements? He didn't know. After a while, however, he didn't seem to be going anywhere and he took deep breath.

"Hello?" he called out, his voice echoing back to him almost instantly. "Someone? Anyone?"

Nobody seemed to be anywhere. But didn't he just see someone come in here? Where was that Koopa and why wasn't he answering back? Pausing, Pip noticed his defensive instincts were raising a red flag of alarm. Something wasn't right about this and maybe he should head back. Turning around, he only had time to let out a startled cry before he felt himself get slammed into the wall behind him, a powerful grip around his neck.

For a very brief instant, Pip thought it was Crash seeking to do him harm for something or another. But wait, it wasn't scales he was feeling, and the grip lacked any kind of body heat. Opening his eyes, his expression went from confused to horrified in a split second. It wasn't Crash, but a very pissed off-looking Dry Bones with an appearance much different than Rattles. He was a few tones darker in color, with glaring red eyes and blood red shoes and gloves. Sharp claws were sinking into the flesh of his neck, but all Pip could really focus on was how and why he ended up in this situation. The skeleton must've snuck up on him and now Pip had a feeling he was going to be in big trouble for trespassing. Well, in his defense, nobody told him this place was off-limits.

"Uh…" Pip piped with fearful awkwardness, the grip on his throat not tight enough to hinder his speaking ability, yet. "Hi…?"

"What are you doing here?!" the Dry Bones hissed and Pip stiffened in fear. This thing's voice… If he thought Bowser's voice was guttural, this guy sounds like his vocal chords are in shreds, which it probably was. If this is what Rattles would sound like speaking English, he was glad his buddy limited himself to the occasional chitters of Koopa speech. Gathering his composure as best he could, Pip was about to reply when the Dry Bones gave a painful-sounding growl that made the Paratroopa cringe. "You must think this is so funny…" the skeleton started. "Coming into _my_ tunnels just to mock me!"

"What?!" Pip piped up in confusion, not knowing what the hell this guy was talking about. Perhaps he was confused as well and the young Koopa shook his head as he began to assure the undead creature. "You've got it all wrong! I'm just looking for a friend and I thought that you could-"

"Like I really need your excuses," the Dry Bones snarled. "Like I _really_ need to see the likes of your kind every minute of every day for the rest of time, MOCKING me with your happy little _lives_!"

Suddenly, it made sense to the bewildered Paratroopa. This must be one of those angry, jealous Dry Bones Kops had once warned him about. Why was it that he always seemed to be a magnet for guys like this? Wasn't a grief-crazed Hammer Bro. enough to handle? Apparently not…

There was silence for a brief moment as the Dry Bones glared at him, tilting his head before speaking again. "I know you," he grumbled. "You're the one King Koopa's trying to break; the one everyone says is going to die." Like he really needed to be reminded of that… But before he could respond, the skeleton gave a small smirk. "If that's the case, why not speed the process along?"

Pip couldn't even get time to squeak in surprise as the grip on his throat tightened considerably. His hands immediately shooting up to pry at his assaulter's hold, he struggled as he tried to gasp for air, only getting little wisps of the life-giving oxygen. Barely enough to speak.

"L…let…go…" he demanded with much effort. "I-I can't…can't…" He couldn't choke out the last word, but he didn't need to as the Dry Bones took the liberty to complete the sentence, with a hostility that could match Crash's.

"Breathe?!" he snapped, glaring hard into his victim's eyes. "Neither can I." His growls slowly easing away as he smirked maliciously, he was unfazed by the Paratroopa's struggles to get him off as he continued in a whisper. "But maybe you can change that. Maybe the magic that binds me can absorb your life as I take it away from you…"

"You…you're insane…!" Pip managed to squeak through his horror and lack of air. This guy didn't honestly think-

"Not insane," the Dry Bones responded with a shake of his skull. "Just desperate." It took a moment for Pip to understand what he meant; it certainly didn't help that his mind was too busy being traumatized by his predicament. But looking at the heavily scarred and worn-down face of his attacker, he knew this Dry Bones have been dead for a very long time, much longer than Rattles. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised if this Koopa would want his life back at any cost necessary, even at the cost of taking another's.

The guy's still out of his mind… Although Pip did wonder if this magic was capable of doing such a thing. In pure fear, he imagined his life essence being taken into someone else and it took his logical mind to convince him that that can't be possible…right?

Regardless, he had to get out of here and for that he had to get free of this hold. Struggling even harder as he began taking as much air as he could, he started to cry out for help when the grip tightened completely, choking his voice half-way into the distress call. Freezing his struggles, Pip tried to hold what little breath he had, still prying at the hands uselessly. Koopas can hold their breaths for a decent amount of time, but that time felt too short for the little Paratroopa, given that he barely had air to begin with. So within a single tantalizing minute, he was already feeling as though his lungs would explode out of his chest and his pain must've been quite visible, for the Dry Bones purred.

"Strangulation is the best way to do this, I think," he muttered in a cheerful nonchalance. "It's the only method where I can quite literally feel your life ebb away from you and flow into me."

_YOU'RE STILL CRAZY!_ Pip wanted to shout but couldn't. So instead he settled on glaring at the Dry Bones, once more using his defiance to hide his fear. But it didn't seem to work very well as his assaulter still kept a smug face. Oh man, now the pain was truly becoming unbearable; every second seem to slow down now as it was filled with an ever growing agony.

"Stop being so greedy, fleshie, and just die already!" the Dry Bones hissed impatiently as another minute inched its way past. Pip tried to growl but no more did he have any amount of defiance left to share. In horror, he saw the edges of his vision going black and he closed his eyes to avoid seeing it and to avoid looking into the literal eyes of death.

So it was finally happening; his death was finally coming. Just like everyone predicted. Never did he think he would die like this; he expected it to be at the hands of Bowser or Crash or maybe even himself. But this? A chance encounter born out of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? No, he didn't want to end like this. _Let go… _his thoughts muttered desperately in his head as if somehow his apparent executioner would hear it. _Need…air…let…go…please…_

Strangled whimpers forced their way out from his throat and as his pain reached its very peak, his body removed itself from his control and began thrashing about in the same desperation his mind shared. But it was of no use as the Dry Bones kept his hold stubbornly, the undead creature's purrs returning as he knew what these thrashes meant. The child has reached the limit and now…

Feeling that its best efforts meant nothing in gaining freedom, Pip's oxygen-deprived body began shutting down on him and the pain and agony began easing away. However, the Paratroopa did not like this one bit and he fought a losing battle to stay awake, trying in vain to get a life-saving wisp of air. He had to stay awake, he had to get out of this alive, he…

Against his own will, his body went limp as his mind faded into the black void of unconsciousness. Feeling his victim's heartbeat slow down to nothingness, the Dry Bones grinned as his ragged purrs grew louder in delight. He's done it; he's claimed a life to replace the one he lost so very long ago and what a prize it was. A still-growing adolescent of a highly energetic species… If this wasn't enough, he didn't know what was. But nothing seemed to be happening, so perhaps he needed to do something more or maybe…

Opening his beak with a hiss, he seemed about to take a bite out of the body to ensure its death when a force out of nowhere slammed into him. With the skeleton forced to release the Paratroopa as he was reduced to a pile of bones, Kops shot back out of his shell as he helped Rattles gather the limp body of their friend.

"C'mon, before he gets back up again!" Receiving a nod in response, the two Koopas hurried out of the tunnel as fast as they could with their cargo before reaching the door and Bone Room. As Rattles closed the door behind them, Kops gently eased Pip onto the ground, placing his ear on the child's chest to listen for any signs of life.

There was nothing…

Cursing under his breath as Rattles hovered worriedly nearby, Kops acted quickly and proceeded in giving the lifeless body CPR. "Wake up, kid," the Koopa Troopa grumbled between each breath and chest-compression. "Live, damn it, live!"

It didn't seem to be working and Kops casted a hopeless look towards Rattles. The Dry Bones whimpered in distress as he leaned over to offer a couple more chest compressions, giving Kops a return look of desperate determination. The other Koopa paused for a second, thinking it wasn't going to do any good and that Rattles was just being too stubborn to accept it, but he sighed and gave the motionless body one more breath.

And it was a good thing he did, for Pip gave a cough as he jolted back to life, gasping for air to replenish his starved body. Feeling himself close to tears, Kops held the Paratroopa close as Rattles chattered happily, relief practically washing over the both of them as the coughs and gasps eased from their revived friend.

"You're alright, kid." Kops muttered, knowing how dangerously close that was. "You're gonna be alright."

Pip opened his eyes to see only blurs before the colored blobs came into focus and the first thing he saw was- He yelped in fear and Kops quickly reassured him.

"It's okay! Don't worry. It's just Rattles."

"R…Rattles…?" Pip breathed softly, earning a nod from said Dry Bones. Soon recognizing his undead companion on his own, he relaxed as he tried to recover from his brush with death. After a few moments of silence and relief, Pip couldn't stop himself from addressing Rattles with a particular request. "Hey, Rattles, can you promise me something…?"

The Dry Bones tilted his head a bit before nodding confidently, willing to do anything at this point.

"Promise me you won't go insane anytime in the near future…" he said with a soft smile and Rattles smiled back, giving another nod as Kops chuckled. Pip was certainly gonna be okay.

* * *

><p>"Kops?" Pip started softly as his friends carefully settled him into his chair, now back in the Medical Wing just to make sure the youngster didn't sustain any serious damage from his few minutes of death. The atmosphere was still filled with relief that the young Paratroopa was alright, but even that was about to change as Pip continued with his question without waiting for the Koopa Troopa to respond. "That guy who tried to kill me… Who the hell is he?!"<p>

At this, Kops and Rattles froze, casting uneasy glances at each other before Kops cleared his throat. "His name is Hollow," he started with some reluctance. "The Demon Bones."

At this, Pip felt both his fear and curiosity spike. "What? I…I thought he was a Dry Bones."

"He is. The rest of us just calls him that, especially since he looks and acts a bit strange for a normal Dry Bones." Sitting down next to Pip, the Paratroopa could tell this was going to be a long story and he prepared himself with rapt attention. "We don't know much about him really; Hollow isn't even his real name. Hell, not even King Koopa knows much about him. The only facts we have is that apparently, he's the first Dry Bones to ever exist."

"Really?" the younger Koopa piped and both Kops and Rattles nodded.

"With so much mystery in who he is and where he came from, of course there's going to be legends surrounding the guy. The most popular one is that Bowser's great great great great great…you get the idea… Grandfather wanted to bring back the dead, so he got some Magikoopas and a random Koopa Troopa. They had that poor soul killed so they can begin experimenting. Now, since this is their first attempt, many said that when they succeeded, they made a huge mistake. That instead of bringing back the murdered Koopa, they dragged in a demon and put him into the body of a Dry Bones. We've come to call that demon Hollow."

Kops allowed a pause to let it all sink in before continuing. "He's resided in those underground tunnels for centuries, hating the living and doing who-knows-what down there. They say that the tunnels lead all the way to the Underworld, but any who enters aren't seen again, for reasons I'm sure you understand."

Pip nodded, a hand automatically rising to rub his bruised throat.

"The creepy thing is that he's completely unpredictable. He holds no loyalty to Bowser and we all know he's carrying out his own agenda." Kops shook his head. "He hasn't done anything truly drastic yet, but we all know it'll come eventually."

"Wait," Pip interrupted with confusion. "If he's doing his own thing, why does Bowser even keep him around? Can't he just get rid of him?"

"Of course he can; he just chooses not to. I think King Koopa's fully aware of Hollow's position, but decides to make do with it on the chance that he'll find a use for him someday." Kops then give a half-hearted chuckle. "I also think that Bowser finds the stories we make up amusing." Standing up with Rattles as a Shy Guy called for Pip, he continued. "I personally don't buy into any of the legends, of course. I just think that being dead for so long has driven Hollow into being psychopathic asshole. He's no different than the regular Dry Bones when it comes down to it."

And with that, he led his companions towards the waiting doctor, whom Pip was certain was getting tired of seeing them all the time...

* * *

><p>Well, our lovable little Paratroopa practically got himself killed; that's a great way to start out his first day off, wouldn't you say? Hollow's actually tied with Crash to become my favorite Mario OC, and I'm glad to finally introduce him here!<p>

As usual, reviews are much appreciated! :)


	12. Questions and Peppers

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

**Moley Koopa- **Yup, Hollow's a minor antagonist that'll only show up a couple more times whilst Crash (along with Bowser, as a given) is the main villain throughout the story. Plus, Hollow's definitely gonna have a key point further down the line, so don't be too dismissive of him! :D  
><strong>Virgofox28<strong>- Lol! I was thinking of making a cliffhanger on Pip's death, but I figured that'd be too evil, even for me! XD  
><strong>Jakeroo-<strong> Yayz! Thank you for giving another review! *hugs* Bowser doesn't always make sense, but also keep in mind that what Kops said was his opinion on Bowser's intention, not the actual reality (Bowser indeed has a use for Hollow, even if the deranged Dry Bones isn't aware of it) ! :D And in all seriousness though, Hollow only kills those foolish/stupid enough to enter his territory, which isn't much. Body count-wise, Mario is still a much bigger threat.  
><strong>Elemental Queen<strong>- Glad you're better enough to read my story once more! Just be careful, yes? I read what happened and it sounds very unpleasant... And scary, since I'm both nearsighted AND wear glasses! *gulp* I'll definitely take your advice! Anywho...Yayz! Hollow and his story creeped you out! Awesome! Poor Pip with all his enemies, but at least he has friends to balance it all out!

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 11<em>

"Staring is rude, kid," Kops reprimanded the younger Koopa as they sat in their usual hang-out of the Lunch Room. It's been a couple of hours since the incident with Hollow and luckily, the doctors found nothing seriously wrong with the youngster. The bruises on his neck will fade with time and the claw-marks left only needed minor treatment. No real brain or tissue damage from the lack of air and circulation was found, though they emphasized that if he had stayed dead for any longer, it would've been a completely different story. It was a huge relief for everyone involved.

It was very obvious that Kops felt guilty about the whole thing, and why wouldn't he? He had so foolishly assured the Paratroopa that he wouldn't lead him into a deathtrap, and that's _exactly_ what happened. As soon as the Shy Guys gave them the okay to leave, the Koopa Troopa had insisted that Pip rest for the remainder of the day. However, the youngster refused fervently, informing Kops that he'd rather enjoy his first day off despite the major set-back. No doubt his deathly experience have given him a new thirst for living life and what better way to show that than by eating twice his weight in his favorite food: waffles. With extra sugary syrup!

Recently though, Pip has spent the last moment or two watching Rattles with great attention and intent, the Dry Bones staring back calmly. Hearing Kops speak out about it, Pip snapped out of the unofficial staring contest before explaining himself.

"Sorry. I was just wondering something..." he told them, earning a head tilt from Rattles and a curious look from Kops. Deciding to elaborate further, he asked the first of his questions. "Like, why do Dry Bones have teeth? We don't have teeth."

Both Kops and Rattles chuckled before the Koopa Troopa answered with his own question. "Didn't you take Biology in your school?"

"Yeah, but I mostly spent it sleeping." Pip answered honestly before adding emphasis on one point. "Don't get me wrong! I've seen pictures and models of our skeletons, but I never really thought much about the teeth before."

"Well, first of all, it's not teeth." Kops informed him. "It _used_ to be teeth, like a loooong time ago, but now it serves a different function. They're anchors for extra muscle attachments within our cheeks. You know, to make our bite stronger."

"Oh..." Pip nodded in understanding before quickly moving on to his next question. "And why do Dry Bones wear gloves? Or shoes for that matter..."

"Well, fingers and toes are pretty fragile even in life. Now imagine it without the protective skin and flesh." Kops told him, Rattles nodding in confirmation. Before Pip could confirm his comprehension or question it some more, Pyro and Inferno arrived at the table with their trays and drinks at hand.

"Hey, peoples!" Pyro greeted enthusiastically, the other three Koopas greeting back as the duo sat down with them. It took not a second before the two noticed the damage on the Paratroopa's throat and Pyro was quick to voice his concern. "What happened with your neck?"

"Hollow got 'im." Kops muttered the answer. "The kid just about _died_ before we saved him." Sighing, he shook his head as he continued. "And yet, the hard-head _refuses_ to rest."

"That's because I'm okay now! Really!" Pip spoke up impatiently, receiving reluctant looks from the elites. He knew they had every right to be worried, but he didn't want to linger on the subject and would rather it be forgotten altogether. So, in a desperate attempt to accomplish that, he glared at them as he spoke in a firm and snappy tone. "Honestly, I just wanna forget about this whole thing, but you guys keep bringing it back up! I learned my lesson and I'm not going anywhere near that place anymore, so why worry!?"

Crossing his arms and ruffling his wings with a huff, he lowered his glare to his waffles as the others stared at him in silence. Finally, after a long moment, Rattles gave him a pat on the shoulder before Kops spoke up.

"Alright, kid. If that's what you want, we'll drop the issue."

"Thank you!" Pip piped, gathering his composure as he poked his breakfast. Calming himself down eventually, he tried to change the tone of the situation as he put on a small smile, looking to the Fire Bros. "Anyways... Can I ask you guys some questions too?"

"Of course!" Pyro responded, complying with the Paratroopa's wishes so as not to stress him out further.

"What's up, kiddo?" Inferno also asked in a gentle tone. Pip felt his smile grow before starting with the first of his curious inquiries.

"First question: where do Hammer Bros. get all their hammers?" he asked.

"Magic!" both Koopa Bros. answered in equal playfulness before Inferno gave a real answer.

"No, seriously. Magic. Just accept the fact that they can pull 'em out of thin air. It's their talent."

"But we're not Hammer Bros., so yeah, next question." Pyro prompted, actually pleased that the young Paratroopa was so curious of their kind. The Paratroopa thought for a moment before fiddling with his hands in a sudden nervousness.

"Well, this one's kinda sensitive, but..." He cleared his throat. "When one brother is lost, the other usually...well...you know..." Both Fire Bros. nodded somberly before Pip continued. "How do you survive as a species if that's the norm?"

Pyro and Inferno looked at each other before both responded. "How old are you?"

"Thirteen." Pip answered in confusion. Again the Bros. paused before Pyro gave a small smirk.

"We'll tell you when you're older."

"Hey!" Pip objected indignantly. "I'm not a fledgling! I can handle it!"

"If you say so." Pyro muttered with a shrug. "I won't get into the details and we'll keep it mature: Unlike you Paratroopas and Koopa Troopas, our kind isn't particularly monogamous. I know I've had four mates and twins with each, and Inferno too." He nodded to his brother. "When a Koopa Bro. dies, certain _instincts_ in the remaining brother gets stronger, if you know what I mean."

Pip blushed with a nod, Inferno carrying on where his brother left off.

"And since we're hatched as identical twins, the dead sibling's exact genes will still live on in his brother. The longer the survivor lives, the more children he'll have." He shrugged. "That's all there is to it. Combined, Pyro and I have 16 kids, so we're pretty much covered if the unthinkable happens..."

"Oh...okay..." Pip muttered awkwardly. He knew asking that was a bad idea, but curiosity was a powerful thing, especially in a mind as young as his. He was just glad the two Fire Bros. didn't go into anymore detail than they did.

"Anyways!" Pyro interrupted the awkward silence, looking directly at Pip with a huge grin on his face. "You ever tried _this_ before?" He pulled out a bright red pepper with a dented and crumpled appearance. Pip has seen many different types of peppers before, but never this one. He heard Kops give a groan beside him and he shook his head.

"No. What is it?" he asked cautiously, earning a chuckle from both Fire Bros.

"It's a ghost pepper." Pyro continued, noting the confused look on Pip's face. Ah, so the kid never heard of the stuff... The mischievous side of the elite Koopa just _had_ to take advantage. "It's one of the sweetest peppers in the world, and I know how much you Paratroopas love the sweet stuff." He held it to the teenager, who took it carefully.

Sweet peppers wasn't strange news to him, so Pyro's words didn't seem too farfetched. Plus, he had an obvious love for food and there's no harm trying something new. Without another moment's thought, he bit off a large chunk of the pepper, much to everyone's amazement. He didn't really understand their reactions until...

Pip spat the chewed up pepper out immediately with a cry, fanning his mouth as he's never tasted anything so SPICY! Disregarding the laughter from the two Fire Bros., Pip gulped down his drink, and then stole Kops' drink as well. But the spiciness still persisted and he grabbed Pyro's drink in a frenzy. But gulping it down, he was met with a nasty surprise as the spiciness actually got worse! With a shriek, he dropped the cup and tried to spit the flavor out, coughing heavily.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"Jalapeño juice." Pyro answered like it was no big deal, thoroughly enjoying his little prank as Pip threw himself literally onto the table next to them, startling the Koopas sitting there. Without asking for any of their permissions and not even explaining why, he stole their drinks as well, chugging them down before lunging for another table.

"MY MOUTH IS ON FIRE!" he shrieked, finishing the last of their drinks before giving up, falling limp even as he slid off the edge of the table and flopped to the floor. Pawing at his mouth with desperate whimpers, he managed another yell, this one a bit more angry. "PYRO, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

And an enthusiastic "THAT WAS AWESOME!" was his only response...

* * *

><p>"This is sooo not awesome..." Frost muttered as he leaned against the castle entrance they were to be guarding. Guard duty was never an exciting job most of the time; only when King Koopa has some plan going on will something actually happen! Now, though, they can only indulge in the bright sunny day and the sun warmed their scales as the morning heat began to build. Too bad the Ice Bros. didn't appreciate the warmth in the least bit...<p>

"Who knows," his brother Frigid replied with a bored yawn. "Maybe Mario will pay a random visit or something."

"Doubt it..." Frost grumbled with a roll of his eyes. "That would be _way_ too entertaining!"

"Hey, at least I'm looking on the bright side!" Frigid grinned, knowing exactly what might relieve the boredom. "And at least I'll have to upper hand this time!"

"What're you-Oof!" Frost grunted as his brother tackled him down, rolling about the ground as they both tried to subdue the other, playful growls coming from the bundle. So engrossed were they in their rough-and-tumble game that they didn't notice someone cross the wooden bridge over the lava moat. They didn't notice that same someone approach them, pausing in its tracks a few paces from the battling brothers.

"You'd think King Koopa would find better guards."

"Huh?" both siblings exclaimed in startlement, freezing (no pun intended, really!) in the middle of their scuffle, Frost having Frigid in a headlock whilst giving him a helmet noogie. Glancing over at the figure, they saw it was none other than Crash. Letting out a breath of relief, Frost tightened his headlock on his brother as emphasis for his dominant status before releasing him, turning to face the Hammer Bro.

And already it was obvious how much of a rough night the other elite Koopa had. Dirt coated his scales and undershell, and it looked like he spent a good chunk of his time crying his eyes out. Unfortunately, this was not a strange or rare sight and the two Ice Bros. felt their sympathy grow within them.

"Hey, you feeling okay now?" Frigid asked in concern.

"As okay as I'll ever be." Crash responded in a mutter largely devoid of emotion, as if his break-down left him completely exhausted. Shaking his head in a daze, he stared off back the way he came, feeling his sense of longing return. He would love to return to the grave-site, but he had work to do here as it was not his day off. Feeling a comforting hand on his shell, he barely managed to shift his eyes away from the horizon onto the ground below.

"Just grab some breakfast and get some rest," Frost told him, smiling softly as he tried to make the grieving Koopa feel better. "Take it easy and you'll be back to yourself in no time." And speaking of which, he put on a beseeching face as he made a certain request. "But _please_ don't try to kill anyone on your way back."

For although the brothers and the rest of the Koopa Bro. elites felt absolutely no threat from Crash, they were very much aware of how he treated the other Koopas. Some brush it off as it didn't concern or affect them in any way, whilst others were more than a little bothered. Frost and Frigid themselves were a bit dismissive of the lower-ranked Koopas, yes, but they still found the frequent brutality cruel and unnecessary. However, one comes to accept that it's Crash's job and that nothing can change it.

The comment certainly brought some amount of spark back to the Hammer Bro.'s eyes and he huffed. "I make no promises on that." Unwilling to continue on, the Hammer Bro. pushed the door of the castle open before disappearing into the darkness within. Sighing with a shake of his head, Frost closed the door again before he and his brother resumed their guard duty. After a long moment of silence, Frigid muttered softly.

"If there's anything talking to that guy accomplishes, it's making me appreciate my bossy ass of a brother even more."

At this, Frost felt a smile creep across his beak as he gave his sibling a rough nudge. "Same to you, bro. Same to you."

* * *

><p>"That was horrible..." Pip muttered as he settled back in his chair, a chocolate milkshake easing the spiciness but unfortunately not getting rid of it entirely. The edges of his beak were still feeling the burn no matter how much of a milkshake-moustache he gave himself. Glaring at the laughing Fire Bros., only one exclamation came to his mind and out his mouth. "And who the hell drinks <em>jalapeño <em>juice?!"

"We do!" Both Pyro and Inferno declared cheerfully.

"Another lesson learned, kid," Kops pointed out, obviously keeping back his own smile. "Don't be so gullible with anything these two tell you."

"I'll keep that in mind..." Pip grumbled, taking another sip from his milkshake, thankful that a Beetle has come to the rescue before he drank an entire ocean! Sitting quietly for a while, the Paratroopa allowed his drink to soothe his tongue as he allowed his eyes to wander the lunchroom as Kops reprimanded the elite duo for their immature prank. Catching sight of a certain Hammer Bro. as he entered the room, Pip automatically froze before he took note of the dirt-covered scales. What the...?

"Looks like Crash had another rough night..." Kops mutter, apparently spotting the assassin as well.

"Poor dude." Inferno muttered, much to Pip's astonishment.

"'Poor dude'? He's a monster!"

"There's no such thing as monsters, kid." Pyro stated firmly, for once serious. "Nobody's born evil, they're made that way." At this reprimand, Pip lowered his eyes back to his waffles, knowing that what the older Koopa said was true. Shaking his head softly, Pyro returned his attention to Crash as said Koopa skipped everyone in line to get his food. Nobody in the line spoke out against such a move, cowed into submission by the elite's mere presence. When the Hammer Bro. received his plate, Pyro decided to add another point to his comment. "Anyway, he's not that bad towards us Koopa Bros. Watch."

Raising his hand in a wave, the Fire Bro. called out to Crash and Pip felt himself panic. Yes, he acknowledges that Crash wasn't naturally an evil cold-blooded murderer, but that didn't change the fact that he _was_ an evil cold-blooded murderer. Hearing his name through the din, Crash turned his gaze to the table and seeing Pyro and Inferno, he did something Pip never thought he'd see: he smiled in a friendly manner! He didn't even know that was possible! But it was short-lived for as soon as Crash saw the lower-ranking trio, his smile was immediately replaced with a scowl and he walked off without further acknowledgement.

Sighing dejectedly, Pyro had nonetheless made his point as his brother carried on.

"It's stuff like that that has me believing the old Crash is still in there somewhere. He only comes out when he's in Koopa Bro. company, is all."

"Well, then," Pip muttered, feeling a spark of hopefulness. After all, if the old Crash really was in there, then that means... "Can't we fix him?"

Immediately, Kops made no hesitation in speaking out in a no-nonsense tone. "I already know what you're thinking, kid, and don't even DARE try it! I know you function of reverse psychology, but I _mean it_. Crash's beyond help, especially if such help is coming from you!"

Pip cringed at the harshness of the reprimand, lowering his head instinctively as he muttered in his defense. "I helped Rattles..."

"Yeah, but keep in mind: Rattles ISN'T Crash! Rattles doesn't hate us; he doesn't hate anything! He's not motivated by murderous rage! They're both broken Koopas, no offense to you, Rattles," -At this, Rattles merely gave a small shrug, showing he wasn't offended by what was basically the truth- "but they're broken in completely different ways."

"Fine," Pip seemed to have complied, only to continue on with another point. "Then why not get him _real_ help? Don't you guys have therapists or something?"

"Yes," Kops answered. "Big problem: they're Lakitus and we both know what happened to the last Lakitu Crash came across." At this, Pip lowered his gaze, his wings drooping. Knowing he's hit a sensitive chord, Kops saddened a bit before calming his tone to a gentler one. "Besides, several times in the past, the Lakitus have asked King Bowser if they could help Crash with his problems. Unsurprisingly, they were turned down in a heartbeat."

"Why?!" Pip exclaimed in confusion.

"Isn't it obvious? He wants Crash to remain his attack dog. And for that, he has to keep him insane with grief and fuelled with rage." His expression grew even more saddened. "There are times I believe that even Crash is aware that there's something wrong in his head, but I also believe that he's too far gone to be saved. At least when it comes to accepting our kind again..."

Rattles in particular gave a long-held in whimper as he hung his head and Pip knew that this was a difficult topic for the Dry Bones. However, he still had questions and he can't help but think that if he knew more, he can probably help.

"What was he like? Before the incident?"

"Fun." Kops responded without hesitation, Rattles giving a nod of confirmation. "I mean, he was a bit more pompous and distant than his brother, but fun nonetheless. With Striker's prompting, he would hang out with us 'lower' Koopas, especially at parties and sports. They were such pleasant Koopas to spend time with that they even had an adorable little fanboy following them around."

"Yeah," Inferno muttered. "I remember Flap. Poor little fella..."

"What happened?" Pip couldn't help but ask and Kops took a moment to answer.

"Remember when I told you that Crash has killed Koopas far younger than you before?" Hesitantly, the teenager nodded and the Koopa Troopa continued. "Flap was a fledgling Paratroopa, half your size and half your age. And man, was he a devoted little imp that made it no secret that he idolized Hammer Bros., Striker and Crash in particular. But then the incident happened. There's several accounts on what occurred within that throneroom, but they all have one thing in common: that Crash was ordered by Bowser to kill Flap and he did so in the cruelest way imaginable."

"I swear, I think I can still hear those screams..." Inferno muttered with a wince as his memories went back to that terrible day.

"All the more emphasis for you to forget about helping him in any way, shape, or form. He WILL kill you if given even the slightest chance." Kops emphasized. "So, promise me, kid: You won't, and I repeat, WON'T try to 'fix' him."

Pip hesitated before weighing his options. Yes, he was utterly terrified of the Hammer Bro. and would love to keep as much distance from him as possible. But he also knew that if he could find some way to change that broken Koopa, then everything will be alright and nobody would have to live in fear again. Plus, it'll certainly piss Bowser off to lose his precious hitman and such a thought would bring a smile to his beak if the situation wasn't so serious. It would be the riskiest stunt he's ever pulled, but he's already faced the pain and fear of death once. Did he really want to go through that again? Taking a deep breath, he came to his decision and nodded.

"I promise."

* * *

><p>Sorry this took longer than usual; I've been busy lately. It's just a filler chapter to answer some questions and share some of my fan-theories on some species. Plus, I got to introduce Frost and Frigid! Yayz! Hope you guys enjoyed and will be patient in waiting for the next chapter! :D<p>

P.S. That ghost pepper scene was based on a real-life incident...unfortunately... I never trusted my mama again! Lol!


	13. Troubled Realization

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

**Moley Koopa- **Yay! You be liking the Ice Bros.! And I'm glad to see my development of Crash is going smoothly, for now! Let's just see how far it'll go! And yeah, The Undead Life will most likely be updated alongside the sequel to this story, so no worries!  
><strong>V<strong>**irgofox28**- I have psychic powers! I know when you're not logged in! *insert evil laughter here* As for you're question: Maybe... :D And cool! I hope you liked those pics, even if they're not very good...  
><strong>Jakeroo-<strong> I like them too as they're tons of fun to write! And oh! Okay, sorry I misinterpretated! But you're right; personality-wise, Hollow is most definitely the bigger threat! :)  
><strong>Elemental Queen<strong>- Very sad. I still feel bad for killin' 'im off...

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 12<em>

Every single instinct of self-preservation was yelling at him not to do this! Standing alone in the hall, Pip stared at the door in front of him, especially at the hammer insignia and the 'Do Not Disturb' sign. It took only a bit of sly talking to get away from Kops and Rattles after they arrived at the Koopa Troopa's room. He told them he was going to grab some extra snacks from the Lunch Room, and they didn't put up too much of an argument against that, probably because it was a believable lie from a glutton like him. Kops only warned him to be careful and that if he was gone for too long, that they would go look for him...

And now he was standing in front of the door of one of his worst enemies...

Gulping down his fear as best he could, he reached out to knock before hesitating. Did he really wanna do this? Kops seemed extremely serious earlier, moreso than usual and for good reason. Nothing about this screamed: "Yeah, this is a great idea", so why was he doing it?!

Closing his eyes tight as he calmed his racing heart, it took every bit of his will power to give three quick knocks. Instantly, he began to panic and he wondered if he should make a run for it, mentally telling himself not to be a coward. Maybe if he's lucky, Crash wouldn't be home yet... It certainly resulted a long moment of silence, and he was beginning to relax just as the knob began to move.

His heart practically stopped and he stiffened as the door opened, a now perfectly clean Crash peeking out before a glare overcame his features. Swinging the door open wider to glance at the small sign on the handle, a growl came from his throat before returning his attention to Pip. "What part of 'Do Not Disturb' do you not understand?!"

Cringing back in automatic submission, Pip fiddled with his hands as he averted his eyes. His voice came out as a frightened squeak. "Sorry, I...I just thought that...um..." He swallowed as Crash crossed his arms impatiently, tapping his foot in warning that he better hurry up with whatever he had to say. Gathering his thoughts, Pip took a deep breath and braced himself for what was to come. "Kops, Rattles, and I are gonna play some video games and I was wondering if you'd like to play too!"

He spoke a bit too fast in his fear and it took a few seconds for Crash to make sense of his ramble. Once that was established, the Hammer Bro. narrowed his eyes in dangerous suspicion. Was this kid being serious? Or was he really suicidal enough to try to pull off a stupid prank like this? Regardless, he was not amused as he snarled out his words.

"You do know that the only reason I didn't bash your brains out on sight is because I thought you had something important to say from King Bowser," He immediately pulled out a hammer and Pip kept in a whimper, his wings ready to take off at an instant's notice. "But if that's not the case..." Crash took a few threatening steps toward the smaller turtle, who immediately stumbled backwards to keep the distance between them constant.

"Wait! Uh..." Pip tried to think of a way to insist upon his invitation without getting harmed in the process. "P-Pyro and Inferno is coming by later too. If you like-"

"You can bring every Koopa Bro. into that goddamn room, for all I care!" Crash hissed. "I'm not gonna waste my time with low-life pieces of shit like you."

"It..." Pip's vocal chords could barely work and his voice was soft and weak as he tried again. "I-It'll be fun, though..."

"You wanna know what's fun?" Crash started with a false smile before lunging for the Paratroopa. Pip immediately attempted to fly, only to feel the Hammer Bro. grab hold of his ankle and throw him back to the floor. Whimpering, Pip choked as Crash grabbed hold of his throat, the elite Koopa still smirking as he leaned closer to growl in a mockingly cheerful tone. "It'll be _fun_ when I take this hammer and smash it into your skull. It'll be _fun_ when I rip those wings right off your shell whilst you scream in agony. And it'll be _fun_ when I end your pathetic existence so I don't have to hear annoying bullshit like this again." He gave a sharp tilt of his head, looking more psychotic than usual with his mask of delight. "Does that sound _fun_ to you too?"

Pip couldn't answer and it had nothing to do with the strangling hold he was in or the pain it was causing to his injuries. Shivering in pure terror, he could barely comprehend when Crash released him with a scowl and headed back into his room, slamming the door behind him violently in a very clear message. Frozen on the spot, it took Pip a long moment to realize that he was alive and in one piece before he shakily forced himself to get back up.

Glancing at the door, he wondered if that could be considered progress or not...

* * *

><p>"Hey, kid. How'd your little field trip go?" Kops piped up, pressing the pause button on the game he and Rattles was playing. Turning towards the door, he saw the Paratroopa practically buried under a mountain of food and it surprised him that the little guy managed to carry all that from the Lunch Room. Pip merely grunted as his only verbal response as he hurried to the kitchen and dumped the edible load on the counter, taking a moment to catch his breath.<p>

Curious, Kops got up from the couch to check out what Pip had brought. Rattles merely sat where he was before a huge mischievous grin came over his beak and he unpaused the game...

"Cheese and rice, kid. You can keep my pantry stocked for months with all this!" He rummaged through the selections, noticing a common trend in all of them. "At least you could if it wasn't all made of sugar!"

"It _better _all be made of sugar!" Pip chirped after he recovered from the journey back. "I got it from the Dessert section!" With that, Pip took a handful of chocolate chips and began the process of stuffing his cheek pouches. Shaking his head, Kops turned to walk back to the TV, only to realize something was most certainly wrong.

"Hey!" Kops immediately exclaimed. Pip hesitated mid-nom as he looked towards the indignant Koopa, whom immediately ran back to Rattles...whom was beating Kops' character to a pulp with playfully 'evil' chuckles coming from his beak. Knowing that he had no time to lose, Kops took his controller and tried to make up for his absence, but it was all in vain. In slow-motion, his character was defeated and Kops glared at the triumphant Dry Bones, only one statement coming out of his mouth. "Y'know, you can be an evil little bugger sometimes..."

Rattles merely beamed.

"Whaddya playing?" Pip asked curiously as he wondered over whilst nibbling on a cookie.

"We _were_ playing Mortal Koopa," Kops grumbled, still a bit sour from his unfair loss as he turned off the game. "But now I think we should play something a little bit more child-friendly." Changing the consoles entirely, he set up the plugs and the controls before rummaging through his games. Most were fighting and racing games, although he did have some First-Person Shooters and Side-Scrolling Platformers. There were even some based on real-life events, like Bowser Kart: Double Dash, Bowser Super Strikers, Bowser Party 8...

He couldn't help it. "Y'know, guys...I dunno if it's just me, but every time I look at these games, all I can think is: 'It's a good thing these are real-life scenarios, or this would feel like some kind of 4th Wall breaking...'"

"That's just you," Pip responded, not at all feeling the strange sensation Kops was alluding to. With a shrug, the Koopa Troopa was about to put in Super Hammer Bros. when the door knocked. Rattles chattered in quick acknowledgement to the newcomers and also to inform his friends that he'll see who it is before going to answer it. It was none other than the duo of the Fire Elements themselves, both carrying even more bundles of junk food.

"We brought peace offerings!" they both exclaimed enthusiastically, not even stepping one foot into the room before the young Paratroopa was upon them. It was quite obvious that he was eager to see what they brought. Chuckling, the elite Koopas carried the food onto the counter next to Pip's stash of sugary items and Pyro turned to the young Koopa.

"I hope you like chocolate milk, kiddo. Consider it an apology for what we did to you earlier." He reached out to grab a gallon of particularly delicious looking milk and held it out to the youngster. Pip was hesitant, however, remembering the earlier lesson Kops had emphasized.

"And how will I know you didn't spike it with super hot Tabasco sauce or something?" he asked, feeling as though it was a legitimate question. Both Pyro and Inferno laughed.

"That _would_ be something we would do, but no worries. We're being genuine this time around." Inferno reassured and Pip cautiously took hold of it, opening it before sniffing into the container for any sign of spiciness. The Paratroopa ignored the amused looks on the two's face as he took a tiny sip...

**Later That Night...**

"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" Pyro and Inferno chanted as Pip was downing the entire gallon of chocolate milk. Next to him, Kops and Rattles were merely staring in disbelief as the kid was almost the whole way through without stopping for a single breath. Both knew this couldn't end well, but they couldn't look away as the tiny Paratroopa leaned back against the couch to get those last drops of chocolatey goodness before dropping the empty container, the two Fire Bros. cheering at the accomplishment.

"I don't even know how a little kid could even pull that off!" Pyro exclaimed in enthusiastic disbelief. Inferno nodded eagerly with that statement before swatting his sibling's shoulder to get his attention.

"We should definitely pit this kid against Frost and Frigid in an eating contest later!"

"Damn right we should!" the other Fire Bro. agreed before looking to the child in question. "Whaddya think, kid? You up to it?"

"Ugh..." was his only response for a moment before Pip mustered the effort needed to form a coherent sentence. "I don't feel so good..."

"Aaaaaand I knew this would happen..." Kops muttered as he put down his controller for their currently paused video game, -of course casting a warning glance at Rattles-, before helping the kid up into a sitting position, much to the Paratroopa's groaning displeasure. "It's time to call it quits anyway; it's getting way too late for a young Koopa like him."

"I'm...not a fledgling..." Pip forced out an objection as the Koopa Troopa got him to stand.

"Of course you aren't," the older Koopa humored the half-conscious teenager before leading him towards the door, looking back over his shoulder. "Rattles, keep our guests busy until I get back." The Dry Bones nodded before unpausing the game and earning a headstart to winning, much to the Fire Bros. chagrin.

"Hey! We didn't even get to grab the controls yet!"

Kops shook his head as he wandered out into the halls, supporting the Paratroopa, who seemed about to fall asleep on him. In little time at all, they arrived as the Koopa Troopa opened the cell and allowed the Paratroopa to stumble onto the bed.

"Rest up, kid. You'll need it 'cause it'll be back to work tomorrow."

Pip only nodded before Kops closed the door. Curling up as he buried himself into the blankets, he thought about the events of the day as he began drifting off. Although it had a very rough start, what with dying and all, the rest of the day proved relatively pleasant. Sure, Crash threatened him with death for the millionth time and displayed blatant rejection towards his hand of friendship. And sure, he swore he can still taste that stupid ghost pepper. But with all the games and snacks, he would certainly call it fun and...and...

And he was getting _way_ too comfortable here...

The thought seemed to just pop into his head and his eyes widened at the sudden realization, the very concept of it more than enough to snap him out of his sleepy state. That just couldn't be true! Sure, he was making friends and playing around, but that didn't mean he was getting comfortable, right? He was just adapting to his still-temporary captivity! Yeah, that's it! It wasn't like he was giving up or anything...even if he hadn't made an escape attempt all day...

That settled it! Growling softly, he pushed himself to sit up, feeling the chocolate milk swishing around in his belly. But he paid little mind to it and the lingering nausea as he thought long and hard to himself. He knew he had to prove that thought wrong and the best way to do that was to escape from here, BEFORE he got completely brainwashed! There had to be a legitimate way out. But the loose block proved useless, and making random runs for the exit sure as hell isn't going to work; he knew that because he tried several times in his earlier days. Maybe he needed to put more planning into this. Already his mind was working on plans and outlines for said plans, all of which he felt was stupid, and he remembered a factor previously forgotten. One that could possibly solve all his problems!

What was Bowser most famous for? Kidnapping the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom and fighting with Mario. A light bulb went off in his head before dying almost instantly. King Koopa hasn't really done anything evil at all during his time here or at least anything that would warrant the plumber invading the castle. He just mostly stayed in that stupid throne room of his, roaring his lungs out every ten minutes for something or another. Sometimes Pip could hear the king working out some plots whenever the Paratroopa passed by, but the giant Koopa never actually set about in carrying them out. He'll ask Kops about it tomorrow and maybe he'll learn that he just needed to be patient.

Nodding to himself, he settled back into bed, trying to fall asleep as troubling thoughts continued to echo through his head. He was NOT getting too comfortable...

Was he?

* * *

><p>"The greatest trial in making a friend is making one out of your enemy." Well that first attempt didn't go so well, but really, what did one expect? And poor Pip, coming to realize he's adapting too well to the captive life... Anywho, please review as the next chapter is another one I'm looking forward to submitting! :D<p>

P.S. Whilst running gags are very prevalent in this fic, that 4th Wall joke will be the only one of its kind, so if you're one of the people turned off by that, no worries as it was only there to get it out of my system ;) .


	14. Downhill

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

**Moley** **Koopa**- Yup, Pip be getting the hang of this, but he's still rather stupid XD! Crash is very picky about who he gives his respect to, and Pip will have to try his very hardest if he wants even a speck of a chance at this friendship thing!**  
><strong>**V****irgofox28**- Wow, I really AM psychic; and here, I thought I was just bluffing XP. And Crash didn't accept because he's an asshole, of course :D !  
><strong>Elemental Queen<strong>- I believe emotional reactions from readers is a veeeeery good thing :D! Thank you! And yay, I'mma give you diabetes from the sheer sweetness of some of these scenes!

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 13<em>

"Rise and shine, kid!" Kops chirped as he opened the door to the Paratroopa's cell. "Hope you're not having a hang-over from last night."

"Is that even possible?" Pip groaned as he wriggled out of his blankets to sit up on his bed. He's had yet another rough night, which he unfortunately was starting to get used to. Since his epiphany, he's been haunted by that same nagging thought and he almost couldn't wait until dawn so he could put it all to rest. However, now that it _was_ dawn, he couldn't be more tired and his body screamed at him to lie back down. Typical...

"Knowing you, you'll make it happen," the Koopa Troopa replied with a grin, looking pass Pip's obvious sleepiness as he gestured out the hall. "Now, c'mon. Let's get some _healthy_ food into that black hole you call a stomach."

Chuckling a bit from Pip's displeased groan, Kops waited patiently as Pip pushed himself off the bed and walked over. It was obvious the Koopa Troopa was in a good mood today, whistling as they headed towards the Lunch Room. Already, Rattles was waiting by the door and Pip shook his head a bit to rid his sleepiness as best he could. Organizing his thoughts as they entered the cafeteria, Pip finally spouted the question that'll bring his mind peace at last.

"Hey, Kops," he started. "You know how Bowser's always kidnapping Princess Plum-"

"Princess Peach," Kops corrected.

"Yeah, that lady." Pip nodded before continuing. "How come he's not doing that anymore?"

"He still does it," Kops told him in an almost weary tone, as if the very concept of Bowser's kidnappings made him exhausted. "_All_ the time, almost like a hobby..." He shook his head, grabbing his tray as he looked to Pip, knowing full well why the teenager asked as many recruits before him has questioned the same thing. "Forget about whatever plan you have, kid, because King Koopa doesn't cause any trouble with the Mushroom Kingdom when he has recruits to break. And besides..."

Kops turned more serious as he waited for their orders to carry though. "Even _if_ that wasn't the case, such a situation would probably be the most dangerous one to put you through and King Koopa would most likely lock you up the whole time to keep you safe."

"Whaddya mean?" Pip asked, confused as to what Kops meant by such words of danger. Up till now, he thought the plan was pretty full-proof. Just walk up to Mario when he came to rescue Peach, explain the situation, and he'll be back home before he knew it! But when he got his answer, it was the last thing he thought he would hear.

"One word: Mario." Kops answered and Pip immediately made his disbelief known in his wide eyes and gaping beak. Mario?! How could that awesome icon of a human possibly be a danger to him?! Shaking his head, he felt defensive of the plumber's reputation and spoke in a pointed, yet slightly desperate tone.

"Mario's a hero!"

"And you're a Koopa. In a castle full of Koopas, all of whom are specifically trained to kill him." He gave a skeptical look to the Paratroopa, making his final point painfully clear. "You really think he's gonna give you even a second thought? Attacking us is practically automatic to him now, and he's not gonna know that you're a captive village Koopa."

"Well, I'll just tell him. He'll understand!"

"_Or_ more likely, he'll see it as a lie to get his guard down. Trust me, kid, we already learned that lesson," Kops told him. "Why do you think Bowser's reluctant to start any trouble whilst recruits are still in-training? Because some of the first recruits we had tried to take advantage of the chaos to plea with their 'hero', only to meet with their ends when Mario didn't believe them. Whether you know it or not, kid, King Koopa's putting a lot of time and effort into you guys, and he's not about to let it go to waste like that."

Silence between them as they received their food and walked back towards the waiting Rattles, Kops continuing soon after.

"I know it's hard to hear, but it's the harsh truth. Bowser's not taking the chance, Mario is not going to take the chance, and you _definitely_ shouldn't take _any_ chances. Alright?"

"I guess..." Pip said, feeling crestfallen. But at least he's got his answer, even if it wasn't the one he was hoping for. Trailing a bit behind the two older Koopas, Pip tried to take his mind off it by scanning the Lunch Room. He was originally looking for Pyro and Inferno, but instead he spotted a certain Hammer Bro. sitting in a corner table. But this time, Crash had company and was sitting across from Impacto, obviously indulging in small talk. Pip casted a careful glance to his friends. Kops was busy chatting with Rattles, whom seemed pretty absorbed by what the Koopa Troopa was saying.

Pip was pretty skilled at slipping from their radar when their backs were turned, and this one should be no different. He'll just slip away silently and lose himself in the crowd before they noticed. Then, he'll have another opportunity to interact with the Hammer Bro. No doubt Crash would reject him again, but Pip knew persistence was the key. At least that's what he learned in helping Rattles. Unfortunately for him, his timing wasn't its best as he slinked off just as Kops was about to include him in the conversation.

Seeing the empty space behind him, the Koopa Troopa tilted his head as he and Rattles came to a stop. Looking about, he spotted Pip walking off with purpose in his step.

"Kid, where're you going?" Kops asked in confusion, wondering as to why the young Paratroopa was deviating from their usual path towards their table. Glancing at Rattles, who shrugged, the Koopa Troopa allowed his eyes to move ahead of Pip's path all the way to see Impacto and... "What the hell is that kid doing?!"

In a panic, the two dropped what they were doing and dashed ahead to stop the foolhardy child. Spotting them from his peripheral vision, Pip immediately flew up out of their reach and zoomed towards the table. Helpless, the two Koopas kept their distance as Pip landed by Crash's table, plastering a grin on his face to hide his nervousness as he sat down next to Impacto. "Hey, Crash! Hey, Impacto!"

Impacto certainly wasn't expecting this kind of company and after he got over his surprise, he casted a worried glance towards his companion. Yes, he didn't like Paratroopas and this kid didn't exactly make a good first impression with him, but the last thing he wanted to see was the child getting badly hurt or even killed. And that definitely seemed like a very high possibility as Crash snarled quite loudly.

"I thought I made myself clear yesterday!"

"Yeah..." Pip muttered, his cheerful barrier breaking down quickly under Crash's confrontational tone. "But I still think that if you just give me a chance, then-"

"Give you a chance?!" the Hammer Bro. exclaimed, standing up as he glared down at the frightened teenager. "Give you a chance to do _what_?! Annoy me even more?!"

"No..." Pip could barely squeak. "I...I wanna be your...friend..."

"Friend?!" Crash's glare sharpened, slamming his hands against the table with a loud _bang_! "Why in the _hell_ would I want to be friends with my brother's murderer?!"

Shivering so heavily that one might think he would tumble over in convulsions, Pip tried to keep his voice from giving out in pure terror as he attempted to reason with the angry Koopa. "Be...Because y-you know that that isn't t-true... I...I never even met your brother...so how can y-you accuse me of murdering h-him?"

"Because you're a low-life Paratroopa, an especially cowardly species in every sense of the word. After all, what do you think those wings are for? They're for running away from every little thing that so much as startles you! You're a pathetic excuse for a Koopa and I'm insulted that we even share the same race!"

Pip didn't even think of the repercussions of arguing with the superior turtle as he couldn't help himself. "That's not fair and you know it! You're rejecting me and calling me a coward when I only wanna help you!"

"_Help_ me?" Crash gave a scornful laugh, storming around the table as Pip cringed back against Impacto, feeling that he's made a mistake in doing what he just did. But it was too late to back out now as the insane elite Koopa grabbed his wings and pulled him roughly up onto the table, earning a cry of pain as this action pulled out quite a few feathers. However, Crash was undeterred and he spoke in a low whisper. "You want to help me, ya idiotic brat?! Well, tell me: Can you bring back the dead? Can you find some way to give me back my brother, to restore him to the way he once was _before_ you took him away from me?"

There was silence for a moment, as even the rest of the Lunch Room have taken notice of the scene. But the Hammer Bro. didn't care about the attention as he continued. "I didn't think so." He pulled out a hammer, much to everyone's horror. And nobody was more horrified than Pip, as he had a feeling that this has gotten a bit too far. And that seemed to be the case as Crash added one more statement. "When you're dead, I'll be sure to let King Koopa know how much an idiot like you deserved this."

He rose the hammer and Pip clamped his eyes shut, even as they began to fill with tears. Even Impacto felt the need to object.

"Crash, don't do this! The kid's annoying, but-"

"'But', nothing," Crash retorted without even turning his eyes away from his victim. "I gave him enough warnings, so he brought this upon himself!"

Just as he began to swing the hammer down, Kops suddenly jumped on him from behind, trying to free his friend and distract the angry Koopa. However, such a distraction went a little too well for his liking as the elite soldier wasted no time in smashing his elbow into the Koopa Troopa's gut and knocking the wind out of him. Not an instant later, he used that same elbow to strike at the smaller reptile's face before snapping around and finishing the attack by hitting the hammer mercilessly across Kops' head.

"KOPS!" Pip screeched, now freed from his assaulter but at such a terrible price.

Stumbling back, Kops groaned in horrible pain before collapsing to the ground, some blood beginning to trickle down his scales. Rattles was immediately by his side, shrill cries of horror coming from his beak as he bent down to help his fallen friend. The stunned Koopa Troopa couldn't really give much of a response at all, his body limp and unfeeling. His eyes and mind can only see black, but he had a vague awareness that told him he wasn't fully unconscious. Snorting, Crash turned his attention back to Pip, who looked on with a horrified look on his face. The elite Koopa seemed about to resume his punishment of the Paratroopa when Impacto stood up and placed himself between them.

"That's enough, Crash!" the other Hammer Bro. said firmly, glaring at his companion. "I'm pretty sure you've made your point perfectly clear now."

Growling under his breath at this interference, but unable to do much about it as it came from a fellow Koopa Bro., Crash glanced back to the Paratroopa, then as Kops and Rattles. Huffing, he turned towards the door. "Fine. That brat better consider himself lucky. That could've been him lying on the ground right now, only much worse."

Without any further acknowledgement, Crash left the Café but the silence in the Lunch Room was still very thick and powerful. Glancing over at the Paratroopa he stood up for, Impacto said nothing to comfort the traumatized teen before walking over to Kops and Rattles.

"Is he alright?" he grunted, earning a whimper from the Dry Bones. But luckily, Kops chose to answer this himself as he awoken from his stupor enough to get some amount of oxygen back into his system as well as acknowledge the acute pain he was now in.

"I...I'm fine...Thanks..." the Koopa Troopa wheezed, forcing himself to stand up as the other two tried to support him. Stabilizing himself on his shaky legs, Kops took another moment to recover as Pip finally gained enough feeling from his stunned state to hurry over to him. But it was not gonna be a happy reunion as Kops glared at him harshly. Instinctively, Pip lowered himself on all fours as he tucked his tail and pressed his wings against his shell.

"Kops...I...I'm sorry..." was the only thing he could mutter, feeling his tears stream down his cheeks.

"Save it, kid...I don't wanna hear it..." Kops responded before stumbling out the Lunch Room, refusing any kind of help as he did so. Trying hard to keep in a sob, Pip now understood the feeling of rejection as he knew his friends were much more than disappointed in him. Impacto casted a glance at the distressed Paratroopa, shaking his head as he too felt that what the kid had done was stupid and reckless. Without a word, he too left. Looking to Rattles, Pip tried to force out more words through his hiccups.

"R-Rattles...?" he squeaked beseechingly, practically laying his belly on the floor in as much appeasement as he can pull off. The Dry Bones tore his gaze away from the door Kops exited to look down at Pip. He didn't know what to think; like Impacto, he felt that what Pip did was incredibly irresponsible and careless. Especially after he was ordered NOT to pull anything like this off! But looking at the crying child now, he knew that Pip understood that what he did was wrong and was genuinely sorry about the whole thing.

Kneeling down by the little Paratroopa, he placed a gloved hand on the youngster' shell and immediately found himself held tight in a hug as Pip buried his face into his shell's ribs, finally breaking down completely.

"I only wanted to help..." he muttered as the Dry Bones attempted to comfort him. "I only wanted to help..."

* * *

><p>"Tipo...?" Pip started as he approached the black-garbed Shy Guy, the regarded doctor looking over from his clipboard at the sound of his name. The Paratroopa took a deep, shaky breath, casting a quick glance at Rattles before continuing. "Did K-Kops come by here yet?"<p>

Nodding quickly, Tipo immediately shared the news as if unaware of the young Koopa's distress. "Yeah, he just left actually! Seemed in pretty bad shape, too..."

Swallowing, Pip waited for the Shy Guy to continue with his answer and share the diagnosis, only to be greeted with a silent stare of expectation. Realizing that Tipo would need prompting, he forced his voice to work. "W-What did you guys find...? Will he be o-okay?"

"Oh!" Tipo started, turning back to his clipboard and flipping a few pages. "A few bruised ribs and a concussion. We've prescribed a period of rest with minimal activity. He also had quite a nasty wound on his head, but luckily, no significant skull damage. We stitched it up and bandaged it."

"The concussion part..." Pip piped up, fiddling his hands in worry. "It's not gonna cause any lasting damage, r...right?"

"So long as he gets his rest until he's fully recovered, then it shouldn't," Tipo answered in a surprisingly professional manner. "He might have some side-effects until then, like light sensitivity, frequent head-aches, and a slight change in personality. Among other things."

Making another quick scan on the clip board, Tipo lowered it as he looked back at Pip and Rattles, a concerned look on his mask. "I know you two always hang out with him. Can you guys keep an eye on him during his recovery? If his symptoms get worse, get him back here immediately. Like, seriously." He walked over to a desk, gesturing for the two Koopas to follow, which they did with little hesitation.

Opening up a file cabinet, the Shy Guy sped through the labels before reaching his target category and pulling out a couple pieces of papers. Handing the papers to his visitors, he quickly explained what it was he gave them. "These are lists of symptoms you should expect to be normal and what dangers you should be alert for. I really can't emphasize enough how important it is to bring him back if he exhibits the behaviors marked in red."

"Okay..." Pip muttered as Rattles nodded. "Thank you, Tipo..."

"Not a problem," the Shy Guy responded with a nod of his own. "Give my good wishes to him when you see him."

"I need to see him right now, actually..." Pip whimpered, looking to Rattles. "If you don't mind, buddy...I think I need to talk to him alone..." At this, the Dry Bones nodded, understanding such a request completely as the kid no doubt had a lot of fixing to do...

* * *

><p>"K-Kops?" Pip muttered as he slowly opened the door to Kops' room. Seeing and hearing nothing, the Paratroopa whimpered softly as he let himself in, slowly making his way to the couch. There, Kops laid silently with his eyes closed, a pained expression still prominent on his face. Upon hearing the youngster, he frowned as the only acknowledgment. Stepping closer, Pip felt his eyes began to tear up again as he choked out his words. "I'm sorry...about earlier...I...I just thought that..." He sniffled. "I'm so sorry..."<p>

There was more silence and Pip felt his heart sink even more and he lowered himself on his knees beseechingly. "Kops, please...I...I just wanted to make things right..."

"You can have the best intentions in the world, kid," Kops whispered softly, still not opening his eyes and still making no movement. "and be absolutely stupid about it. I warned you many, MANY times about Crash and you chose to ignore me about _everything_." He winced a bit, a soft groan coming from his throat. "And _I'm_ the one who pays the price..."

Hearing that brought his sobs back at full force, as he knew the older Koopa was right. He's been so foolish as to disregard most everything his guardian told him since they first met, for some stupid reason or another, and now it all caught up to him. The worst part, he found, was that it wasn't him who was punished for it in the end, but the very one that tried to save him, to teach him against such trouble in the first place. That was a heavy blow for the Paratroopa and he gave himself a severe mental scolding as Kops seemed too weak to do so himself. Speaking of which...

"What..." he began with a hiccup, trying to ignore the heavy tears soaking his face. "What's gonna...h-happen now...?"

"Does it matter...?" Kops replied with uncharacteristic disinterest and Pip instantly remembered the symptoms Tipo told him and Rattles about. "After this is over... I'm quitting..." Again, he winced as he placed a shaky hand on his bandaged head. "There's no point in carrying on with you, kid... You can't be taught... I've worked with many recruits in my life... but I've taken more abuse around _you_ than anyone else..." He opened his eyes, revealing them to be rather dazed and distant, as if he had detached himself from this whole thing as he uttered the words that hurt the child more than ever before. "You're not worth it..."

"No!" Pip cried out before he could think. Scooting by his companion's side, he desperately tried to save the friendship he shared with this Koopa Troopa. "No, please, Kops! You can't quit on me! I'm sorry! I'll never disobey you again, I promise, I _really_ promise! Please!" Literally choking on his tears, he buried his face into the couch's seat cushion, his voice muffled. "I need all the friends I can get to help me through this hell...and you're the most important one I got... Please don't give up on me, Kops! I know I'm stupid and crazy and annoying, but I _can_ be taught! I _can_ learn! Please, just give me another chance! _Please_!"

The silence was almost suffocating between them and Pip looked up from the soaked cushion to see that Kops had closed his eyes again. A few moments passed with nothing and Pip gulped. "K-Kops...?"

There was another moment of inactivity before the older Koopa whispered under his breath. "Leave, kid... I gotta think..."

Hesitating, Pip felt his heart practically shatter that he wasn't given a sign of forgiveness. Lowering his gaze, he nodded silently before shakily standing and walking away. He paused by the door, looking back as if to say something. But he found himself with nothing more to say and with a hung head and crushed soul, he left his guardian behind to contemplate his fate...

* * *

><p>Oh noes! Kops! I'd say poor Pip's plan more than backfired... :( Is this the end of their friendship?<p>

I think I'mma make this a weekly update, although I'm not too sure. Curse my unpredictable-ness! Either way, please review as they're definitely great motivators!


	15. Another Chance?

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

**Moley** **Koopa**- Yup! This story has a couple of arcs to it and Pip's dynamic friendship (and potential loss of said friendship) with Kops and Rattles is one of them! And Pip better have learned his lesson this time, or who knows what would happen! :p**  
><strong>**V****irgofox28**- Yayz! I took mercy upon you and submitted whilst you were logged on XD ! And let those tears out; I even admit to tearing up a bit whilst writing the chapter, so I understand completely!  
><strong>Elemental Queen<strong>- I'mma take that as a good thing! As mentioned above, I also teared up a bit whilst writing the previous chapter, and I'm glad that emotion tranferred so well so as to affect you as well! :D  
><strong>Guest<strong>- I like your chosen anonymous name; it's simple and to the point! XD But as for your question: Flit _is_ Pip's brother and that's a rather important relation, so...maybe! ;)  
><strong>Croconaw<strong>- Thank you! Your user-name is awesome!

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><p><em>Chapter 14<em>

Was this real? It did feel a bit odd as he stirred from his sleep, uncurling from his shell with a yawn. Perhaps such oddness were a lingering effect of a dream he had that night and had just forgotten about. It wouldn't be the first time such a thing happened. Opening his eyes, he blinked as he was greeted with a very familiar room... _His_ room... Back home. Rightfully confused, he sat up and jerked his gaze around, trying to comprehend if he was really seeing this and every sense that he possessed told him that he was.

He was back home, the morning sun filling the room with brilliant golden light that shined off every reflective surface. The familiar smell of his discarded clothes piled in a corner of his room, of the leftover pizza he had hoarded under his bed, wafted into his nose, as real as he could ever remember. Mixed in with those scents were the outside smells of the fresh grass and of his mother's flower garden. Turning around, Pip stood up on his bed and rose to his tip-toes to look out the window. Outside greeted him just as it would every normal morning, his neighbors running their errands and the nearby houses completely in one piece.

But wasn't his village burned? Surely, it couldn't all be fixed so quickly! Or was the whole thing just some terrible nightmare? Maybe he was never kidnapped, his village never attacked. Maybe he was never held captive or never threatened with death on a daily basis. Maybe... Maybe he was never friends with Kops or Rattles, Pyro or Inferno. And it was never real...

Or maybe he's dead and Crash or Hollow really did succeed in killing him, and now he's experiencing some strange after-life where everything that happened afterwards, and right now, is just a dream. He didn't know...

Regardless, he was home and he scooted off the bed and walked towards his closed bedroom door. Reaching for the handle, he hesitated for a moment, wondering what could lie on the other side. What if all this will disintegrate if he opened this door?

Swallowing a bit, he turned the knob and peeked out. Everything looked the same, the same hallway and the same doorways. Surprised for some reason, he stepped out and immediately heard the sizzle of breakfast and the smell of bacon. Such a blissful smell brought a wave of comfort over him and he hurried to the kitchen where he spotted Mom cooking by the stove.

"Mom!" Pip exclaimed happily, feeling as though he hasn't seen her in a long time. Turning towards her son, Mrs. Paratroopa startled as her youngest child threw his arms around her and snuggled his face into her chest. Laughing a bit, the elder Koopa petted her son's wings and Pip purred at the familiar attention. "Mom, you have no idea how much I missed you..."

"I haven't gone anywhere, baby," Mrs. Paratroopa replied with amusement, wondering what has gotten over the youngster. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Mama." Pip answered, looking up at his parent with teary eyes and a loving smile. "I'm just...y'know... feeling extra huggable." And indeed, he indulged in this embrace for another moment before pulling away and looking about. "Where's Flit?"

"Right here, ya little snot." he heard the playful answer from the doorway and he turned towards his older brother, immediately taking note of one thing.

"You're all better!" Pip couldn't believe it; he would've never guessed that his sibling would make such a full recovery so quickly. Flit tilted his head in confusion before looking down at himself. Giving a shrug, he grunted as he was practically glomped to the ground, his younger sibling holding his neck in a tight hug.

"Okay...okay... I can't breathe..." Flit told him and Pip immediately let him go and got off. Chuckling, the older teen shook his head as he stood up and dusted himself off. "What's up with you today, bro?"

"He's feeling 'extra huggable' today." Mrs. Paratroopa answered as she removed the bacon from the frying pan and placed it onto a large plate, dabbing them with a paper towel. Pip immediately sat down at the table, anticipating this breakfast as if he hasn't had it in a while. His amused brother sat down in his spot as their mother brought their food over, the smell of bacon, eggs, and pancakes following her. "Let's just hope he's as eager to go to school."

At once, Pip shook his head, putting on a pleading face as his wings drooped for maximum puppy-dog face effect. "How about Flit and I don't go to school today? How about, instead, we all go the park together or something? Have a picnic? Just the three of us."

Immediately, this earned him a gentle cuff on the nose and although he would normally be irritated at such a childish disciplinary action, this time he felt another wave of pure nostalgic happiness. After that horrible nightmare, everything seemed wonderful now, even as his mother chided him.

"Now, now, Pip. While I appreciate your eagerness for family time, school is much too important to miss."

"What's turned you into such a Mama's Boy anyway?" Flit asked with a grin, transferring some pancakes into his plate.

"Nothing," Pip piped, taking a piece of bacon and nibbling on it. Somehow, the taste seemed intensified, although he attributed that to his current state of excitement. "I just had this weird nightma-"

He was cut off by a knock on the door and although it wasn't an unpleasant sound, it did startle them.

"That's strange. Not many people would visit so early in the day. Wonder who that could be..." Mrs. Paratroopa muttered mostly to herself as she wandered towards the door.

"If it's Girl Scout Cookies, ask for the Thin Mints...And for their older sister's numbers!" Flit chirped jokingly, Pip chuckling as he most certainly missed his brother's sense of humor. Their mother merely shook her head in her own amusement before opening the door. Pip didn't know what happened in that split-second, but instantly, a shrill screech rung through the air and Pip would've jumped out of his shell. He knew instantly where that shriek was coming from.

"Mom!" he cried out in horror before turning to his brother to recruit his help as he stood. But he froze, as the spot where his older brother once stood was completely vacant. Instantly another scream rang out, this time from said sibling and Pip wasted no time hurrying to the living room, only to freeze in sheer, unparalleled horror. Both his mother and brother was lying on the floor, covered in blood. And standing over them...

"C...Crash...?" Pip could barely choke out. No, Crash wasn't real! He was just a figment of his imagination, spawned to terrorize him in his nightmares. But there he was, growling menacingly as he turned his attention to the young Koopa. A demented smirk grew on his beak and his growls turned to snickers. He began saying something in a low voice, but Pip heard none of it as he hurried to his family's side. As soon as he laid his hands on them, he knew it was too late...

They were gone...

Instantly, the whole house took on a different appearance, as if it's been burned all the way down to its very framework. Smoke still hung heavily in the air, but Pip didn't care. Breaking out in a sobbing mess, he buried his face into his parent and sibling, his body wracked with shudders as his words came out in an almost imcomprehensible mumble.

"You...you...killed them...Why...Why did you...?"

Looking up, he saw Crash was gone and littered beside him was a few more bodies. He needed only to wipe his eyes clear to fully identify them: Kops beaten to bloody pulp, his eyes glazed in death. Rattles, his skeletal body in broken pieces and his head completely caved in so as to never reassemble himself again. Inferno was torn into as if from some rabid animal and Pyro lying dead beside him with much the same infliction. Even Tipo wasn't spared, lying face-down in a pool of his own blood.

It was horrifying and Pip covered his mouth at the gruesome nature of the deaths around him. Closing his eyes, he suddenly felt lighter as if hovering without the use of his wings. But even then, he dared not open his eyes as deep laughter resounded around him, recognizing instantly who it was. The image of King Bowser flared in his mind against his will and he whimpered as he shook his head desperately as if trying to dislodge the image from his brain. But it persisted and he opened his eyes to escape it, only to have the image follow him into the real world, or whatever horrifying world this was.

The smirking image of the Koopa tyrant began to distort, alongside the booming laughter still going on around him. The taunting noise retained its sharp edge, but was growing more shrill and demonic. The image continued to distort, soon taking the form of a very familiar scar-faced Dry Bones. Tormented by all three of his nightmarish enemies, Pip broke down as he fell to his knees and curled into himself.

"GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! GIVE ME BACK MY FAMILY AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"No escape..." came the raspy voice of the Demon Bones, soon joined by Bowser's and Crash's voice all chanting the same two words. Everything seemed to intensify before a falling sensation overtook the Paratroopa, as if he was tumbling into the dark void now surrounding him and his wings useless to save him...

With a gasp, Pip snapped his eyes open as he sat up with a jolt, immediately hearing a chittering noise beside him. All around him was the familiar cell walls blocking him from the rest of the world, the afternoon sun shining through the barred window. The Paratroopa tried to catch his breath, disorientated for a few seconds as his eyes scanned his surroundings before looking towards the source of the chitters. It was none other than Rattles, undead and well. Breaths heavy and eyes wide, the pieces slowly began piecing together and everything began to make sense to him once more. "It...It was just a dream...?"

Rattles tilted his head a bit before nodding softly, unsure of how else to react. A few hours ago after Pip visited Kops, the distraught Paratroopa retreated in here without a word to the Dry Bones. Rattles gave him ample amount of time to cope before he decided to check up on him, only to find the young teen had apparently cried himself to sleep and was in the middle of a very vivid dream. Or nightmare, judging from the whimpers that rose from the Paratroopa's throat during the whole episode and his current behavior. The undead creature may not have had such dream-time terrors in a long time, but he still remembered what effects it had on the living and his worries were made obvious by the soft chattering sounds he made.

Pip didn't respond at first, once again looking about the glum cell walls that now proceeded in engraving their image in his head. No longer was he floating in a black void, no longer was he in the burnt remains of his house, no longer was he home with his family... Instantly, the earlier parts of his dream rose up to combat the still lingering fear residing within him and tears began to rise up in his already puffy eyes. Crying heavily, he buried his face into his hands and he felt a comforting pat on his shell, the bed shifting a bit as Rattles sat down beside him.

It took a few moments for the Paratroopa to choke out coherent words, and when he did, they were full to the brim with every amount of sorrow he had. "I wanna go home... I want my Mama... I want my mommy...and my brother... I lost them forever...a-and now I'm NEVER going to see them again!" Sniffling, another memory jolted unceremoniously into his head and it didn't help his situation at all. "And...and I lost Kops too! Why do I keep losing everybody?! Why?! It's not fair!"

Rattles said nothing, still patting the child's shell and purring softly in an attempt to make the distressed Koopa feel better. And it seemed to work a little bit as the broken little Paratroopa calmed down enough to finally open up to the Dry Bones on what happened. "I had a nightmare, the WORST one I've EVER had. Everyone I knew... Everyone I loved was...was..." He choked a bit, trying to fight through his tears. "I don't know what to do! Not even Kops is willing to help me anymore!"

At this, the Dry Bones tilted his head and Pip attempted to wipe away his tears, only for them to be replaced immediately after. "K-Kops said that's he's going to quit... That he doesn't wanna be my friend anymore... And that I'm not worth it..." At this, a stunned look came to the skeleton's face and he looked towards the door in disbelief and something like horror, even as Pip continued. "And he's RIGHT! All I do is cause pain and misery to everyone, including myself! All I wanna do is go back home, but it seems that every step forward is really just a million steps back! I..." He hiccupped as he lowered his eyes to the floor. "I really don't know if living like this is worth it anymore..."

Silence as Rattles looked back to Pip, unsure how to respond to all this. And really, was there a proper response to this? They were losing a valued companion and Pip was having...troubling thoughts that were so vague that Rattles couldn't discern what the emotional teen was implying. Shaking his head, he opened his beak and was about to speak up when a roaring voice did it for him.

"FOR THE LOVE OF-! **SOMEBODY** BRING ME THAT STUPID PARATROOPA!"

And although 'stupid Paratroopa' could apply to anyone with a shell and wings, they both knew King Koopa was requesting only a specific Koopa in the castle. Without so much as a glance between them or even the usual disgruntled comment, Pip shakily pushed himself off the bed, allowing Rattles to lead him out the cell and into the halls. He made no hurry, just staring at the floor the whole way there. This unusual behavior was disconcerting to his companion, who knew there was little to be done at the moment. All he could do was give Pip a reassuring chirp as they entered the throneroom.

Crash was there, standing with his arms crossed by King Koopa's side as the giant Koopa rubbed the spot between his eyes in obvious agitation. It didn't take an expert to know where this was going.

"I honestly can't go a single day without hearing something about you," the royal turtle growled without even opening his eyes to glare at Pip. "Even when I allow you a day off, you manage to get into _some_ kind of trouble. What, with the Shy Guys reporting your little near-death experience, some complaints from the Lunch Room of unruly behavior with you shrieking and stealing everyone's drinks, and NOW, my most trusted elite is sharing little stories of you harassing him." Shaking his head, his growls increased as smoke came from his nostrils. "And if that's not enough, you even managed to put Kops, the most patient recruit guardian I had, out of commission!"

"...Technically, Crash put him out of commission..." Pip mumbled in as best an argumentative tone as he could pull off, and even that was listless as he was still staring at the ground. At this, the Hammer Bro. gave a low snarl and Pip cringed involuntarily as he remembered that dream.

"And I wouldn't have if it wasn't for YOU! Don't try to shift the blame, you little shit." Crash retorted sharply, falling quiet as King Koopa rose a hand in an obvious gesture for the elite Koopa to hold his tongue.

Removing his other hand from his face, Bowser glared harshly at the small Koopa in front of him and instantly, the tyrant could see that something was different. Instead of the usual glare of defiance, the Paratroopa was just staring at the floor with wings held limp. It was pretty obvious that the child has spent a good amount of time crying and although Bowser would normally find the sight amusing, he was far from it this time. Crossing his arms as his tail thudded against the seat of his throne, he hissed at Pip, his voice was low in aggravation. "There's no end to your stupidity, is there?"

Pip didn't respond, closing his eyes to prevent tears from flowing again.

"Seems like everything you incorporate yourself in ends in disaster, and I'm really starting to question how worth it you are." Bowser grumbled, unknowingly reinforcing the child's previous feelings of worthlessness. "When Crash here reported what happened in the Lunch Room this morning, I was dangerously close to accepting his offer to beat the ever-loving shit out of you. And I still am."

Standing up, he stepped towards the child, leaning down to sneer at him. "Normally, I wouldn't even consider such severe physical punishment until a bit later down the line. You yourself still have a couple more strikes to go before that stage. But now, I'm really questioning if those strikes should even remain in place or if I should just skip it entirely. Perhaps I haven't been strict enough for someone as moronic as you. Or maybe, just maybe, I should just end it all here and save myself the trouble."

Silence before he carried on with a tilt of his head. "Or maybe you just don't understand the gravity of your situation. You know what would've happen if the Lunch Room incident ended a little differently? You know what would've happened if Kops wasn't so lucky as to escape with his life? Not only will _you_ have been responsible for his death, but you would've joined him soon after. Because you only get one recruit guardian and if he dies on account of you, or even just quits because you're untrainable, then that's the end of the road for you."

At this, Pip's eyes widened a bit in fear and Rattles clattered his beak nervously. Based on just those actions alone, Bowser knew instantly what their source of anxiety was and he narrowed his eyes as another hiss rose in his throat.

"And lemme guess: Kops really has decided to quit on you, hasn't he?"

Pip felt the impulse to lie and save himself from whatever horrors the king had in mind, but he knew it would be useless. Tears finally breaking free to flow silently down his cheeks, he merely hung his head lower even as every instinct told him to run. Rattles certainly wasn't about to allow this and in a panic, he hurried to the spot between his friend and his king, his raspy Koopa words spoken in a desperate tone.

_"King Koopa, please. L...Let ME be his new guardian! I can teach him, and keep an eye on him! And although I've been dead for a while, I still remember how to take care of the living, even a child like him!"_ A strong whimper rose in his throat as his clasped his gloved hands together. _"Please, just give him another chance!"_

Silence filled the room as Bowser regarded the begging Dry Bones with firm and unrelenting eyes. After a few moments of this stillness, the Koopa King finally spoke and Rattles knew that if he still had a heart, it would be racing.

"A rare chance to hear you speak up like this, Rattles, and perhaps it would help you in a normal situation." Rattles felt a little bit of hope rise, but he was cautious about it as he didn't like the tone in which the royal dragon-turtle spoke. "But it's completely wasted here. You already have your job and granted it's not a terribly active one, but it is a job nonetheless. Switching is not an option." He gave a huff, more smoke expelling from his nostrils in a cloud. "Really, this outcome shouldn't have come to a surprise to you, and it was _your_ mistake in getting attached to this little idiot. Now, step aside before you share his punishment."

Hesitating, the undead Koopa knew his undead existence was on the line and he glanced back at Pip. The Paratroopa looked back with tear-filled eyes, shaking his head softly as he most certainly didn't wanna bring his last remaining friend down with him. But the choice was not his, and Rattles came to his own decision, looking back at Bowser and staying rooted to his spot. The message was clear and Bowser snorted in response.

"Very well," he grumbled. "A shame to lose such a loyal servant, but if you insist..." He rose a clawed fist, no doubt about to crush the Dry Bones into oblivion and Rattles would close his eyes if he could. Then, just as the strike was about to hit home, another voice rung out.

"Don't do it, sir!" It was too late to stop the blow, but King Koopa skillfully changed its course and his fist smashed into the floor a mere inch from the skeleton. Cracks riddled the tiles from the impact point and the two smaller Koopas knew just how dangerously close that was. Lifting his claws from the practically destroyed patch of floor, Bowser turned his attention to the door to see Kops breathing heavily, obviously having to run here. It was quite apparent that he was still in pain and he winced as he entered the bright-lit room. "Don't do it... Not yet... I..."

He looked over to his former companions, his gaze largely glazed and emotionless, but his words filled with determination. "I'm not quitting on him... He's a hard-head, but I'm not gonna give up so easily..."

"Kops, good to see you're up and about," Bowser smirked in a mockingly cheerful tone before growling. "You are aware that you're simply wasting your time with this brat, right?"

"Maybe so...sir..." Kops grunted as he fought through his migraine to gather his thoughts into a coherent sentence. "But...but if anyone can make this work... I believe I can." Blinking hard, a bit of spark returned to his eyes as he stood tall at attention. "Just say the word, Your Highness."

"Very well," Bowser finally accepted after a few more tense moment of silence. "I've already given you paid leave for a couple weeks for you to recover. Until then..." He returned his attention to the Paratroopa that started this whole mess to begin with. "You will be kept in that little cell of yours, all day and every day until Kops returns to work."

"What?!" Pip couldn't help but exclaim and this earned a snicker from the King.

"You didn't really think you've escaped punishment, did you? Your luck isn't that strong. Now get outta my sight before I change my mind." Waving them off, he watched as the duo regrouped with Kops before leaving the throneroom in a hurry.

"Goddamn it..." Crash muttered under his breath as they disappeared from sight, having wanted the Paratroopa's punishment to be a bit more severe and with actual blood. His disgruntled grumble didn't go unnoticed and Bowser couldn't help but give a dark chuckle as he turned to his elite Koopa.

"Don't be too disappointed, Crash," he told the Hammer Bro. with an ominous, sharp-toothed grin. "Knowing that little brat, I can guarantee a hundred percent that this is far from over..."

* * *

><p>Looks like Kops came to the rescue just in time, but will it be enough to influence whatever fate has in store for our stubborn, feathery little protagonist?<p>

Honestly, I'm just amazed I made it this far, this quickly! I thank my wonderful reviewers for that kind of motivation! *huggles!*


	16. Bad To Worse

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

**V****irgofox28**- Sorry, I didn't mean to troll, it just seemed like an appropriate title! :D And thank for loving the nightmare scene; I admit, I was a bit hesitant about including it! Glad to know you enjoyed it and that I made a good choice!  
><strong>Elemental Queen<strong>- I LOVE how you typed up how you wanna kill Crash with a big ol' smiley face! I dunno why, but that cracked me up and brightened my day! Oh! And Pippy appreciates the hugz!  
><strong>Croconaw<strong>- Oh, okay! You had me fooled XD ! And yayz to emotional chapters! Trust me, it'll get even more so...  
><strong>nationalcraft<strong>- Wow! I don't think even _I_ have read this entire story in a deay! You have some awesome dedication and I'm glad you like my story so! And yay, no mistakes; you have no idea how long I take to ensure that and it's good to know it isn't in vain! Thank you for the review and I hope to be hearing from ya again!  
><strong>Clive Koopa<strong>- Awwww, thank you! It's so glad to hear how much you enjoyed this story! I most certainly try to make Pip a lovable and enjoyable character whilst not making him a Gary Stu! And seeing your feelings towards Crash, I see his characterization is going along well too! Anywho, it's good to hear from new reviewers, and I hope you continue to enjoy! :)

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 15<em>

Solitary confinement was a hell of a lot worse than Pip thought it would be...

These two weeks were practical torture to go through. There was absolutely nothing to do! Occasionally, a Boomerang Bro. guard would come by to give him food, but he could never get a conversation with him going. Eating was really the only stimulus available to him, and he savored every moment of it by taking tiny nibbles off each item of food. That usually kept him busy for an hour or two, but then it would be right back to the boredom. Sometimes, despite his better judgment, he would try to remove the loose block, just to flutter around a little bit outside. Unfortunately, King Koopa wasn't even allowing this, and a Paratroopa or Lakitu guard was always stationed right outside his cell to intervene.

Ugh, he could feel his brain rotting in sheer and utter boredom. This couldn't be humane treatment at all, and he couldn't help but wonder if he could sue Bowser for this. But he tried to comfort himself on the fact that at least he got Kops' approval back; at least, he hoped... The Koopa Troopa didn't really speak to him whilst escorting him to the cell and although that was worrying, Pip didn't allow himself to dig too deeply into it. Kops just needed more time to think, is all, and his silence was just the lingering effect of his injury...

It was strange what this confinement was doing to him mentally. At first, he found himself constantly day-dreaming and even acting out said day-dreams. Then, it evolved into odder past-times, like staring intently at the scales on his hand. He never noticed how interesting they looked if you paid reeeeeaaaaaallly close attention to them. This turned into even more moments of 'self-discovery', like staring at his wings and counting the feathers. Or wondering how flight was even possible with wings like this. And why wasn't his tail longer, like a monkeys? And why did he have four fingers on his hand, but three toes on his foot? And why-?

He's been here too long...

On the very last day of his imprisonment, Pip spent it staring at the door unwaveringly, twitching anxiously for the moment to arrive. It didn't take too long of a waiting time, but the door slowly inched open and-

"SOCIAL ACTIVITY!" Pip screeched as he tackled Kops and Rattles to the ground. The Koopa Troopa and Dry Bones were more than a little surprised, and they could do nothing as the young Paratroopa nuzzled into their shells. But eventually, Kops spoke to him for the first time in what felt like forever and to Pip's relief, he sounded a bit amused.

"Alright, kid. Give me some breathing room."

"Sorry," Pip piped, getting off and allowing both Koopas to stand. Knowing now was as good a time as any to make amends, the Paratroopa looked Kops straight in the eye and spoke in a soft, apologetic voice. "And I'm sorry about before too. I really am. I promise, _promise_ to always listen to you no matter what!"

"Really?" Kops said, crossing his arms and quirking a brow skeptically, earning an enthusiastic nod. "Alright, so you'll listen to me when I tell you not to bother Crash ever again?"

"Most certainly!" Pip squeaked, nodding his head so hard it began to hurt. "I learned my lesson and I'm not going to put you guys at risk like that never, ever again!"

Kops nodded back a bit, choosing to believe the teenager's words, at least when it came to that. However, his skeptic look remained as he continued on. "And you'll listen to me when I tell you not to do anything stupid?"

"Mm-hm!" Pip once more nodded, keeping himself low in as much an appealing gesture as he could pull off. He didn't want there to be any doubt in his sincerity and was quite willing to grovel to prove his point. "I know that you're just trying to do what's best for me, and I _promise_ I'll keep that in mind when you tell me not to do something."

"Good," Kops continued, casting a glance at Rattles, who was grinning at this understanding and communication between his buddies. It was obvious that the skeleton was more than overjoyed that things were quickly getting back to normal, without losing either of their friendship. Kops offered a soft smile back to the undead Koopa and as he returned his attention back to Pip, he added one more thing. "And you'll stop getting on King Bowser's last nerve?"

"Uh..." Pip was a LOT more hesitant to agree on that and deep down, he felt bad. He didn't wanna lie to his friends and say he would obey the king's every word, when he had absolutely no intention of doing so. Lowering his gaze, he cleared his throat a bit, fiddling with his hands. "I'm sorry, Kops...but...I can't. It's betraying my village."

"Figured that one would be too hard for ya," the Koopa Troopa uttered with a roll of his eyes before giving a small sigh. "Fine, have it your way. I will certainly try my best to keep you out of harm's way, but I suppose I can never change your mind on the matter as you must do that on your own. Just so long as you know what you're getting yourself into, Pip."

Pip grinned, unfazed by these words of warning as he waved them off and threw himself in another hug with the two Koopas, his words without a hint of doubt. "As long as I got you guys watching my shell, I don't think I have to worry about that over-grown tortoise ever hurting me..."

He didn't notice the nervous glances Kops and Rattles exchanged behind his back...

* * *

><p>"WHERE THE HELL IS MY BREAKFAST?!"<p>

That was always a pleasant way to start the day, Bowser's roar nearly deafening all that heard it. Tapping his foot impatiently as he waited in the throneroom, he guessed he shouldn't be too surprised, as he requested his meal from a certain Paratroopa. This was serving as a test to see if the youngster gave up after his extended confinement and it would seem that that wasn't to be the case. And such assumptions were confirmed when his eyes settled on a Koopa Troopa who was waiting in line for a chance to speak, stepping out when the giant king glared pointedly at him. The smaller turtle cleared his throat before approaching a bit with head held low.

"That's what I came to see you for, actually. Uh…I told the new Paratroopa about your order, like you told me to and…he, um… wanted me to tell you something in response."

Bowser blinked in confusion before narrowing his eyes, knowing this was about to go downhill fast. "Well, spit it out!"

"Um, right…" The Koopa Troopa hurried up to the king, adding something he felt was important. "Keep in mind, this is him talking, not me, sir." With that, he stood on tip-toe as Bowser leaned over, allowing the other Koopa to whisper in his ear. And not even a second later, the fire-breathing tyrant's eyes snapped wide and he jerked his head back up with a snarl.

"He said _what_?!"

"Uh, he said, 'Go fu-'" the Koopa Troopa was about to repeat before being cut off by his enraged king.

"Don't repeat it, you idiot!" Bowser snapped, dangerous embers of flame seeping from the sides of his mouth. But luckily, he had no intention of roasting anyone and instead, he let out a particularly pissed off roar. "BRING THAT INSUBORDINATE LITTLE PARATROOPA IN HERE!"

This roar was somehow even louder than the last one, Bowser's voice reverberated throughout the entire castle, shaking the very foundation. Everyone in the room, and anywhere even remotely within earshot, cringed involuntarily as their ears began ringing. Turning back to the Koopa Troopa, the unfazed Koopa King spoke again in a quieter, but no less angry voice. "Get a couple of those Shy Guys in here, and tell them to bring scissors."

"Y-yes, sir." With a respectful dip of his head, he took off towards the hospital wing to fulfill his king's order, inwardly glad that he got out of this alive. As Bowser crossed his arms, waiting, Crash glanced up at him and gave a mutter.

"I still think you should rip them off entirely." he said, Bowser allowing an amused smirk in response.

"The key to punishment is suffering, Crash. This'll be far more effective in the long run." he informed with a pleasant growl. Soon enough, the door opened and in walked Kops, with Pip and Rattles in tow. The Paratroopa looked particularly defiant and pissed, his arms crossed as he glared at the king. It was obvious the Paratroopa was having hard feelings about the whole two-weeks-of-confinement thing... Well moreso than usual, at least.

If he wasn't so enraged, Bowser might've smirked tauntingly, but instead he glared back before giving Kops and Rattles a dismissive wave. Both Koopas froze reluctantly before wandering off. However, they had no intention of leaving their friend alone with the massive beast, instead just stopping by the doorway. Casting them a nervous glance when he found himself standing alone, Pip once more hid his fear in a wall of disdain, not wanting to show even the smallest amount of weakness that might suggest that his isolation had chipped away his mental well-being.

"Whaddya want this time?" he spat with particular venom, not knowing the fate in store for him.

"What I wanted was a simple meal for breakfast, an hour and a half ago!" Bowser shot back and it took everything Pip had to look unfazed by the monstrous Koopa's rage. No matter how many times he's gone through this situation, it never got any easier.

"Didn't that guy tell you? I said you can go fu-"

"SILENCE!" King Koopa roared, succeeding in getting a jump and frightened squeak out of the smaller Koopa before the Paratroopa regained his composure enough to resume his act of defiance. "I've been anticipating your continued idiocy even now, enough to discuss your line of punishments. And I think it's time you advance yet another step."

Feeling his heart stop with panic, as he remembered what was told to him last time, Pip casted a quick glance at Crash standing nearby and held back a gulp. Bowser caught the glance and smirked contemptuously.

"Oh, don't worry," he started in a mocking tone. "You're not on _that_ level...yet. Though it is extremely tempting right now..."

"Then-" Pip started only to be cut off when a couple of Shy Guys wandered inside, obviously unsure of the situation. On this cue, Bowser glanced at the Hammer Bro. standing beside him.

"Pin him down." he ordered and Crash couldn't stop a smirk from growing on his beak before he lunged at the Paratroopa.

"What in the world?!" Pip exclaimed in confused panic before attempting to make a run for it, only to be tackled to the ground. Startled, the teenager grunted as the larger Koopa held him down and he glanced at the Shy Guys. In a panic, Pip attempted to put the pieces together and he can only arrive at one instinctive conclusion. "SHOTS! NO MORE SHOTS!"

This earned a scoff from his restrainer, who spoke in a threatening growl. "You _wish_ it was shots."

This confused the Paratroopa. If those Shy Guys weren't going to stick a needle in his skin, then what-?

King Bowser turned his attention on the medical duo, a pleasant growl rising from his throat as he spoke the most dreadful words Pip could possibly hear, words he never thought he'd ever have the misfortune to come across. "Clip his wings down to flightlessness."

And for the very first time in his life, the fear of needles was dwarfed by something else. Time seemed to have come to a complete and utter halt right then and there. Everything around him seemed to have shattered and fallen away. He couldn't breathe for a moment and it had nothing to do with Crash's heavy body weighing him down. Only just barely managing to snap out of it, Pip struggled and thrashed as hard as he could.

"Nooooo! Get off me!" His wings flapped desperately, as if trying to escape their fate as well. But it was no use as the Hammer Bro. kept a tight hold on him, refusing to let him flee. The Shy Guys inched closer, unsure if they should be doing this to the obviously distressed Koopa. But it was Bowser's orders, so... Reaching out, one Shy Guy grabbed hold of one of the flailing wings and this prompted Pip to try and snap at him, Crash's hold the only thing saving the Shy Guy's hand from a bloody fate.

Trying not to pull away, the Shy Guy attempted to focus only on business, turning to his partner, whom took the other wing. Handing over a pair of scissors, the red-garbed nurse gently pulled open the wing to its full extent, cringing back as the Paratroopa let out a ear-piercing screech.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! LET ME GO, YOU STUPID HAMMER BRO.! LEAVE MY WINGS ALONE!" Putting in every last bit of anything he had, Pip tried to pull his wings out of their grasps, but it was of no use as Crash's patience tired of the thrashes and he pulled out a hammer and smashed it across Pip's skull. With a squeak, the Paratroopa fell limp, his body unresponsive to his need to fight. The blow wasn't hard enough to cause lasting damage or to even knock him fully unconscious, but that only made things worse for the poor Paratroopa. He didn't wanna be awake to witness any of this.

Whimpering in his stunned state, he felt the Shy Guys grab his wings again and spread them open. He felt a few shifting of feathers and then heard the dreaded snipping sound. His mind was filled with nothing but sorrowful horror as he watched portions of his own feathers fall away, separated from the now damaged limbs. Feeling tears well up in his eyes, he tried and failed to keep in a sob. Hiccupping, he gained enough of his feeling to make weak attempts to pull away, with about as much success as one could expect.

"L-leave my wings alone..." he muttered under his breath before looking up at his restrainer, his voice broken and beseeching. "Crash, please...let go...please..." The Hammer Bro. only glared at him and he tighten his hold even more, silently making his point. Feeling next to hopeless, Pip turned his attention to his friends, hardly able to see them clearly through his tears. "Guys, help..."

Kops and Rattles were clearly horrified by this whole thing as well, and the Dry Bones made a move to assist the sobbing youngster, only for Kops to take his arm and shake his head. As much as they wanted to help, this was all Bowser's orders and the child wasn't in any actual life-threatening danger here. It was extremely harsh, but it was best to stay out of it. Rattles hesitated as he regarded Kops before reluctantly staying back, soft distress chitters coming from his beak.

Seeing he wasn't going to get any help from them, Pip practically choked on his own tears, sniffling as he once more fell limp in defeat, trying and failing to block out the sounds of the snipping scissors. And it got even more difficult to ignore when a sharp pain suddenly erupted from his left wing and he cringed with a soft whimper. The pain went away quickly, and wasn't worth further notice when an even more horrible sharp pain took its place and he yelped with a desperate shriek. "WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!"

"Sorry," the yellow-garbed Shy Guy muttered with genuine remorse to the little Paratroopa. "Cut into a newly growing feather. I had to pluck it to stop the bleeding..." With that, he continued the unpleasant procedure, all under the triumphant and amused gaze of their king. Finally, after a few more minutes, they completed the main feather clipping and the red-garbed Guy looked to Bowser.

"Uh, sir? We clipped off the flight feathers. Would you like us to keep the coverts?"

"Why? What do those do?" King Bowser asked, wandering closer to take a look as the yellow Guy went on to explain.

"Nothing, really. Normally, they control air-flow over the wing, but if this little guy decides to jump off the side of the castle in some attempt to fly, it'll be these feathers that'll help soften his landing and save his life."

"He'll still be completely flightless," the red one added. "Can't guarantee it'll save him from injury though. It's the flight feathers that act as his brakes and these coverts will make a poor substitutes. But it's better than nothing..."

"Better than nothing, indeed. The Paratroopa is of no use to me dead." Bowser glowered at the subdued Koopa. "At least not yet. Let him go, Crash."

The Hammer Bro. grunted before releasing his hold on the Paratroopa. Pip sniffled as it took a moment for him to comprehend that he was free, that it was all over. Shakily, he crawled away a bit before pausing to look at his wings. It was horrendous, a sight he knew he was better off not seeing. His flight feathers were practically gone, only just visible beyond the coverts; his wings might as well have been feathered stumps. Whimpering, he forced his eyes away from the sad sight and hung his head, never in his life feeling so broken.

"Try to fly, Paratroopa," Bowser hissed with a smirk. "I wanna see if the clipping was a success."

Pip did nothing in response, but for once it wasn't out of defiance. It's just that, he instinctively knew that the clipping was a success and he didn't wanna go through the inevitable failure of trying to take off. He was already beaten and there was no need to make it worse. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to have a say and Bowser, fully aware of how Paratroopa fear reflex worked, looked back to Crash.

"Toss a few hammers his way; he needs a little convincing to comply."

Crash wasted no time in obeying, always relishing in any opportunity to lash out at the lower-ranked Koopas even when he's not allowed to hurt them. The first hammer whizzed past Pip's head, purposely missing him by a hair. Startled, the Paratroopa cringed as a couple more hammers narrowly missed him and instinctively, his wings began beating and he jumped, only to crash back to the ground. His wings seemed to have sprouted a mind of their own as they continued flapping, and Pip made another leap as a hammer barely brushed passed him.

His sharp cries of exertion and frustration turning into more sobbing whimpers, he beat his wings as hard as he possibly could, hoping to take off through strength and determination alone. But it proved useless as he collapsed in a heap, burying his face into the floor. Shivering heavily in his distress, he tried to ignore Bowser's dark laughter as Kops and Rattles wandered over to him in an attempt to comfort him. But Pip wasn't having it as he pushed them both away, not even putting the effort to remove his face from the floor to look at them. Rejected, the two Koopas backed away, their eyes shifting downward in their own shame.

"Perhaps now, you'll actually learn your lesson," Bowser snickered. "Next time you choose to insult me in such a disrespectful manner, expect an even greater punishment than a few snipped feathers." Turning away, he waved his hand dismissively at Crash. "Take him to his cell."

"Yes, sir." Crash muttered, walking over to the sobbing Paratroopa and gripping his arm tightly. Yanking the smaller Koopa roughly onto his feet, Crash dragged the youngster out of the throneroom, Pip putting up no fight whatsoever. Arriving to the prison, Crash pulled the door open and practically threw the Paratroopa forward in a gesture to get inside. Pip stumbled before regaining balance, sniffling as he looked to the Hammer Bro. as if hoping to spark some amount of pity. But, unsurprisingly, it wasn't getting anything but a glare and a snarl. "Suck it up. If it was up to me, I would've plucked every last feather out before ripping those wings off completely. Now get inside!"

Lowering his gaze with a sniffle, Pip went back into his room, the door slamming behind him as he sat on his bed, tears still flowing freely down his face. Choking on his breath, he continued sobbing until the door gently inched open. Pip made no real response to it, his glazed eyes only focused on the ground in front of him even as Kops and Rattles entered the room.

"Hey, kid. You alright?" the Koopa Troopa asked softly as he and his skeletal counter-part wandered to the bed. Pip said nothing to answer back, his whimpers and sobs still strong. Both his companions sitting on either side of him, their faces heavy with sympathy, Kops tried again to comfort the emotional adolescent. "It's gonna be alright, bud. You Paratroopas molt continuously, right? So your feathers will grow back in no time..."

It certainly seemed like a comforting thing to say, but even Kops knew it was no good. Even if Pip was paying heed to anything they were saying, there was also technicalities to consider. For one thing, while Paratroopa wings do lose feathers all the time, it's done in a way that still allows flight and isn't this trauma-inducing. Plus, without the support of other flight feathers, the new feathers were extremely vulnerable to damage. So there was still the chance that the wings will be forever ruined...

Sighing, Kops looked to Rattles with a shake of his head and the undead Koopa placed a comforting hand on the Paratroopa's arm. While this still didn't get even a glance of acknowledgement, it did earn a shaky mutter.

"You guys did nothing..." The two froze as Pip continued in a broken tone. "I...I thought y-you guys had my back...but... you didn't even try..."

"What could we have done, kid?" Kops muttered back, wringing his hands together in a habit he picked up from the younger Koopa, looking down at his feet as he did so. "Even if we could get Crash off of you, we would still have King Bowser to deal with..."

"Just go away..." Pip responded, without taking even a second to consider what was being said. Understanding the young Koopa needed time to cope, Kops and Rattles stood up and made their way to the door.

"When King Koopa lets you out and when you're ready, you know where to find us." Kops mentioned as he closed the door, leaving Pip to sit alone in the dark, wallowing in his sorrow...

* * *

><p>A rather pleasant beginning almost instantly engulfed in more sadness and heart-break. Didn't take Pip long at all to end up right back in that cell... And omigawd, flightlessness is the worse punishment a Paratroopa could ever endure and I feel soooo bad for doing this to Pip.<p>

As you can possibly tell from the last couple of chapters, this story's slowly going downhill in darker territory... But just how much of a downhill slope will this go? Find out later!


	17. A Way Out

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

**V****irgofox28**- Lol! Long review is long! :p And yayz, an emotional reaction! I think I'm getting better at this. I did feel a bit bad for having Crash refuse Pip's request, but that's Crash, y'know, the Grade-A Asshole of the story... And I probably also would've taken those hits; flightlessness for a creature _made_ for the skies is pure cruelty... But let's see just how much of an impact it can have...  
><strong>Elemental Queen<strong>- I'm sorry for always making you cry with this story. But I guess it's a good thing, as I mentioned before. And yes, curse both characters as they most certainly deserve it for doing what they did.  
><strong>Croconaw<strong>- It's a real tragedy, the greatest one in Pip's life thus far... :(  
><strong>Clive Koopa<strong>- No, he never gets luck 'cause he keeps digging himself into a deeper hole of trouble (let's be honest, half the time he brings it onto himself). He _should_ stop pissing off Bowser, but then he wouldn't be Pip anymore... And with all this crap in his life as of late, let us hope that I'm merciful enough to give him that little bit of happiness soon...

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><p><em>Chapter 16<em>

"Hey, kid..." Kops muttered a greeting as he opened the door to Pip's cell. Peeking in slowly, he allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness before casting a quick glance around. His eyes found the Paratroopa laying silently on top of the bed sheets, clearly wide awake, but doing nothing in response to his visitation. It was a vast contrast to how the teen reacted upon gaining freedom from his last imprisonment. Smiling sadly at that fact, the Koopa Troopa stepped inside as he nonetheless attempted to cheer the little guy up. "King Koopa says you're allowed to come out now. Why don't you join Rattles and I for dinner?"

For a long moment, there was only silence, but then Pip mustered the effort needed to open his beak and get his voice working. "I'm not hungry..."

Kops glanced around the cell, noting the uneaten piles of food that has been offered to the Paratroopa during his days of solitary confinement. While Koopas are capable of going this long without food if they're faced with no other choice, he knew the teenager was nonetheless starving by now. With his naturally higher metabolism from his being a teenager of a highly active species, it didn't help that he needed the added fuel to grow all his feathers back. He needed the food, whether he wanted it or not.

Walking up to the motionless Koopa, he took gentle, but firm, hold on Pip's arm. "C'mon, kid. We're going to the Cafeteria. Now."

"I said I'm not hungry..." Pip answered, making no move to fight but also making no move to follow along. Staying limp, he was dragged off the bed and flopped face first onto the floor, without so much as a grunt.

"Don't care, bud!" Kops replied through a gritted beak, pulling the ragdoll of a Koopa to his feet. "You're coming." Finally, he got the Paratroopa upright and began to lead him off to the Lunch Room. Pip just followed in a daze, not really reacting to anything around him. When they entered the noisy room, Kops led him to the table where Rattles sat with Pyro and Inferno, a plate of food displayed before the Dry Bones. But the plate wasn't for Rattles, -as undead Koopas don't need food anymore-, and when Pip sat by him, the skeletal turtle slid it over to him with a smile.

Pip just stared at the plate with a blank expression on his face, despite the cheerful greeting he received from the two Fire Bros.

"Hey! Haven't seen you in a while. How've you been?" Pyro chirped, only to receive nothing in response. Instantly, the two elite soldiers knew something was up and concern grew on their faces as Kops sat on the opposite side of the Paratroopa with a look of pity.

"What's wrong?" Inferno asked, neither of them having heard the latest news of what happened. Again there was no reaction and it was Kops who responded by looking to the depressed child.

"Go ahead, tell them. It's okay." he encouraged, to little avail. Seeing how he wasn't going to get anything out of the once-energetic and overly-talkative Koopa, he answered the Fire Bros. for him by gently taking hold of a wing and spreading it open for them to see. The larger Koopas took a second to examine the limb before simultaneously sucking air through their beaks.

"Oh, wow..." Inferno muttered.

"Poor kid..." Pyro added with a sympathetic shake of his head. Although they weren't Paratroopas, it was still a sad sight to see and they now understood completely why the youngster was acting so strangely. A decent amount of the cut flight feathers have already shed, giving the wing an even more scraggly appearance; it was unnatural. "King Koopa did that?"

Kops nodded as he released the wing, which slowly fell back into a folded position, his voice soft as he gave his verbal answer. "Yeah. And the kid's been taking it very hard, right Rattles?" The Dry Bones nodded in response, his expression saddening as he lowered his gaze.

"I don't blame him," Inferno piped before looking to Pip with a comforting look. "But look at the bright side, kid: At least you still _have_ your wings. Which is more than what I can say for some other Paratroopas..."

Pip said nothing, hardly listening to anything around him, even the conversation pertaining to him. All he did was stare at his food, not feeling hungry in the slightest. And what was the point of eating anyways, with what he had planned for tonight? There was none and the waffles in front of them might as well not exist. But as it turns out, he wasn't going to have an opinion in this and Kops gave him a nudge.

"You haven't even nibbled on anything yet," the Koopa Troopa observed with concern. "C'mon, kid, it's waffles. You love waffles, don't you? It's Night Breakfast!" Pip again didn't reply, instead beginning to stand so he could leave. But he didn't get far in the action before Kops pulled him back into his chair. "Ah ah ah, kid. You're not going anywhere until you eat."

"I'm not hungry..." Pip uttered softly, without a single inflection in his sentence as if he couldn't summon the energy to incorporate emotion into his words. Hesitating, Kops exchanged glances with the elites and Dry Bones before putting on a stern look.

"That's bullshit, kid, and you know it. I saw all of the food in your cell, and you didn't even touch them. You _have_ to eat, kid." This didn't get anything in response, not a sigh of compliance nor a glare of defiance. Just a blank stare down at his plate and Kops scooted said plate closer to the Paratroopa insistently. "Eat. You're never going to get better if you don't eat."

"Not hungry..." Pip repeated as if it was the only words he knew. Kops was certainly starting to get frustrated with this, but he hid it well as he took a fork and removed a small piece from the waffle stack. Smothering the piece in syrup, the older Koopa held it up to Pip's mouth as if feeding a hatchling. But whereas a hatchling will eagerly welcome the food, Pip just stared in a daze, as if unsure of what to do with it. Kops pressed the sticky piece of breakfast food against the youngster's mouth and Pip finally responded...

By clamping his beak shut...

Understanding the message clearly, Kop lowered the fork and shook his head, turning his worried gaze to the others. Their faces too were heavy with sympathy and concern, and Koopa Troopa muttered something that was barely audible over the general din of the Lunch Room.

"Sorry, kid. But this is for your own good..." With that, Kops tackled the Paratroopa off his chair and onto the floor, much to the surprise of their companions. Holding the stunned teenager down, Kops looked to Rattles with a serious, no-nonsense face. "Pry his beak open! We're getting food in his system whether he wants it or not!"

Rattles froze for a moment, unsure whether to do this. There just had to be a better way to approach this situation, but he knew there wasn't. Pip wasn't going to be convinced and to keep him from starving himself to sickness, or even death, special measures had to be made. This was one of them. Giving apologetic whimpers, Rattles scooted off his chair and kneeled down by Pip, taking hold of the little guy's muzzle and opening it as gently as he could.

This seemed to snap Pip out of his stunned state and he began to stuggle half-heartedly. Out of pure instinct, he jerked his muzzle away from such restraint and snapped, clamping his beak into Rattles' hand. The Dry Bones merely tilted his head with a saddened expression, feeling no pain from such a move, and pried at Pip's mouth again with his other hand. This time, it was done a lot more firmly and Pip was forced to release the hand he held captive as his struggles became a bit more desperate.

Grunting as he tried to keep the child down, Kops turned to Pyro and Inferno, who continued to watch this in somber silence. "We can use a little help here!"

Glancing at each other, the elite duo also seemed reluctant to take an active part in forcing this on the distressed youngster, but like Rattles, they too arrived to the conclusion that this was for the best. Moving around the table, both Koopa Bros. held down the Paratroopa, who began whimpering as he was more than overpowered. With the little Koopa properly restrained and his beak held wide open, Kops placed the small piece carefully near the throat. Nodding the the Dry Bones, Rattles nodded back softly and shifted his hold to press Pip's jaws shut.

Finally giving a muffled scream, Pip struggled as hard as he could to at least free his beak and spit out the waffle. But it was in vain and he felt tears beginning to build up in his eyes. Choked whimpers escaping his throat, he looked up pleadingly at his retrainers, silently begging them to let him go. It certainly got them to hesitate, but unfortunately they only shifted their gazes away to avoid giving in to their sympathy.

"I really am sorry, kid," Kops muttered. "But we're not letting you go until you swallow."

Closing his tear-soaked eyes, Pip felt his sobs build before he forced himself to swallow hard, feeling the tiny piece of food travel down his throat and into his empty stomach. Feeling Rattles let his beak go, he coughed a bit, as if trying to hack out what he just ate. like it was poison to his system. His voice was soft and broken as he fell completely limp.

"S...Stop...Let m-me...g-go..." he pleaded, his companions feeling a stab of remorse at those words. But it was no use as Kops took another piece of waffle and pressed it against his beak, earning even more sobs. But resistance was futile and with gentle prodding from Rattles, Pip opened his beak to reluctantly accept the food. All the tears streaking down his cheeks made it seem like he was enduring great physical pain from the act of eating, although his comrades were doing their best to be gentle with the little guy.

Finally, after a long few minutes, he was forcibly fed the entire plate of waffles and he felt the others free their hold on him, each muttering their apologies. But Pip paid no mind as he made no hesitation in righting himself and dashing off, his wings flailing instinctively and uselessly. At a safe distance, he collapsed to his hands and knees, looking back at his wings as he was reminded of his flightlessness. Such a thing didn't help his state of mind and he turned his attention to the others.

Choking even more on his tears, he shook his head with pure emotional agony before he ran off out of the Lunch Room...

* * *

><p>The ground was a long way down from here. Standing atop the highest point of the castle, his feet at the very edge, Pip stared down with a lifeless expression. So this is what it all comes down to. Stolen from his family and friends forever to be held against his will by a bloodthristy tyrant, his attempts to escape made mockingly useless, constantly enduring all kinds of dangers and traumas that seem to come from every corner, and every effort was being made to break him. Well, now he's broken, with everything he ever care for being snatched so cruelly away from him. Maybe now, Bowser will be happy.<p>

Closing his eyes so as not to see what he's about to do and make his terror worse, he felt more tears well up in his eyes as he took a deep and shaky breath, about to step off when-

A clattering noise came from the darkness and Pip didn't need to turn around to see Rattles approach him with a worried look. He must've followed the youngster after what happened in the Lunch Room a few hours ago. And he wasn't alone either. Trailing after the Dry Bones was Kops, who immediately asked the question on both their minds.

"What're you doing?" Pip didn't answer and the Koopa Troopa attempted to make some sense out of what he was seeing. Arriving to his own conclusion, he shook his head sternly. "Don't you remember what those Shy Guys said, Pip? You can't fly, and you'll only manage to hurt yourself."

At last, Pip made his first response since the force-feeding, his voice so soft that the two had to strain their ears to hear. "I'm not gonna flap..."

It took a moment for them to understand what he could possibly mean by those seemingly irrelevant words, but then realization struck and a look of horror plastered itself on both their faces. Rattles immediately made a chattering noise, the situation most certainly dire enough for him to once again use words, even if those words were in the usual Koopa language.

_"Don't do it! I know you're feeling horrible and hopeless, but we can help!"_

Kops nodded quickly in agreement, resisting the instinct to dash over to the suicidal Koopa, in case it'll make Pip jump. This situation needed to be handled delicately and instead, he began inching closer. "Rattles' right! Get down from there and let us talk this out! You're making a big mistake!"

"Doesn't seem like a mistake to me..." Pip muttered, his voice still as lifeless as his eyes. "In fact, it seems like the perfect solution..."

"Well, it's not! Please, Pip, get down from there!" Kops exclaimed, feeling his heart race with panic. And it only got worse when Pip did nothing to comply, still staring intently at the ground far below them.

Rattles whimpered, feeling as though he was losing another friend, which he essentially was. He didn't want to go through the pain of grief, not for the countless time and not when he could've done something about it! And doing something he did, for Pip ignored his friends' pleadings and took that fateful step. He didn't even bother trying to open his wings as he toppled over the edge and Rattles dashed forward as fast as he could. Reaching the drop-off, he didn't even have time to think as he snapped his arm forward and barely managed to catch hold of Pip's ankle.

Clattering his beak with effort, he pulled the Paratroopa up, Kops rushing over to help. Within a minute, Pip was back atop the castle safely, limp but alive. The two Koopas supporting him, they began leading him to his cell, where hopefully he'll be kept there safe and out of harm's way...

* * *

><p>Like said, things are gonna start going downhill fast. Poor little Pip, finally giving in to his fate in the worse way imaginable! At least he was saved in the nick of time! But knowing this stubborn Koopa, is it really as easy as it seems? Find out in the next chapter.<p> 


	18. Bleed

Disclaimer: I don't own the Mario franchise or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

Role-call! It's been a while since I updated this story (or been on the internet at all) and I'm interested in seeing how many of my readers are still watching! Wait no longer, because here it is! 8D

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 17<em>

The silver moonlight was the only thing that greeted him as he sat in his bed. It's been several days since his suicide attempt and his friends hardly let him out of their sight. Whenever he left his cell, it was under their supervision and they kept him in here when they couldn't keep an eye on him. They didn't wanna hold him as a prisoner, but it was the best they could do until they could find professional help for him. And it's not like he ever cared, nothing mattered anymore...

He had nothing left to live for. His home and family was gone and his so-called 'friends' would sell him out to Bowser if ordered to. They wouldn't even help him if he begged them, not if it went against their precious king's orders... They proved that to him already. Opening a wing, he stared listlessly at the feathers. By now, all the clipped feathers were gone and he can make out some blood feathers coming in to take their place. But he was far from ecstatic; a Paratroopa's wings were his pride and joy, the very essence of his confidence. Taking it away was taking away the thrill of life, and the freedom of living...

And if his freedom was taken away to such an extent that even his wings were mangled, then life isn't worth living. That was his logic when he made that failed leap...

Failure, another thing that brought down anything resembling self-respect in this Paratroopa. His very best efforts meant nothing here; escape proved meaningless and his determination to stay true to his heritage by disregarding Bowser's orders have only provided more pain. There was only one way out of it all, and even that's being denied to him...

Well, not completely...

Still staring at the blood feathers, he knew he still had one means-to-an-end open for him, and it could be done right in this room and within a few short hours. Nobody would notice in time...

Blood feathers were extremely fragile at this stage, especially when there was no other feathers surrounding them for protection. It has been his instinct to keep these new growths safe and he has been for a while now by keeping his wings folded and never shifting them for anything. But now it was time to cease with the protective habits and just get it over with. It would just take a few to do the job...

Reaching out, his fingers took a gentle hold of one blood feather, feeling its soft waxy texture before his grip tightened and the feather very easily snapped under the pressure. Instantly, his fingers became covered in blood and he pulled his hand away to stare at the warmth coating his scales. Turning his attention back to the broken feather, he watched as blood dripped heavily from it onto his bed, staining the sheets. A soft smile came to his beak and he reached out again to snap a couple more feathers.

There, that oughta do it...

His right wing staining red, he watched the quite heavy flow of his own life fluid with a feeling of satisfaction, actually encouraging the blood flow if it appeared to be clotting. A soft purr came to his throat as he waited for the effect, already starting to feel light-headed and nauseous. This was good, this was perfect... Allowing his thoughts to wander as he calmly awaited his demise, he saw the mental image of his mother and brother and his heart grew lighter.

"We'll see each other again..." he whispered softly to himself. "I promise..."

Wow, he felt so very tired and he shifted to lay himself down, his cheek resting in his arms as his bleeding wing drooped over the side of the bed to begin covering the floor with the warm liquid. His eyes glazed, a calm voice in his head began to whisper sweet nothings to him. But that incoherence began to clear up as he strayed further and further down the mortal coil and before he knew it, soft wonderful words began stringing out in his mind.

_Such a pleasant thing. Wouldn't it be nice to just forget the fear, forget the pain, forget the failures? _the voice went, lulling his senses into oblivion. _You can leave all that behind...It's so very easy to do... Just...close your eyes...and sleep...for the very...last...time..._

The voice faded as did everything else as Pip allowed his heavy eyelids to close and he slipped away into the darkness...

* * *

><p>There were not many days since the incident where he felt genuine boredom. Sadness and pain was a constant. Anger, even moreso. But rarely bored.<p>

Travelling down the halls towards the throneroom, Crash kept his sharp gaze on the floor beneath his strides. Today was a rather slow day, tonight being even worse, with no Koopa daring to step out of line and earn his punishment. None of them felt particularly inclined push a confrontation on him should he attempt to start something, and he can't hurt them if they don't challenge his authority. He hated it when they followed the rules...

Hopefully King Bowser can remedy this. Maybe the royal dragon would be merciful enough to let him pick out a random target, like that Lakitu. Surely another demonstration like that wouldn't hurt. Or maybe King Koopa can pass a new rule and let him enforce it whilst the others were unaware. That's happened on occasion and maybe it can happen again.

Arriving in the throneroom, he saw King Koopa chowing down on some massive drumstick of unknown origin and marched over with confident strides before giving a respectful bow of his head. "Sire, I wish to speak to you."

"Again?" King Koopa grunts, rolling his fiery eyes a bit before waving a claw for his head elite to continue. It's obvious his patience wasn't at its best tonight, but at least he wasn't snapping.

"I'm wondering if you have any assignments for me today." Crash states as to-the-point as possible whilst still maintaining his air of respect. Hearing this, the Koopa King exhaled some smoke as he ponders on what orders he should give this deranged Hammer Bro., picking up a piece of paper laying on his throne's armrest. Grumbling a bit under his breath, he scans the paper's contents a few times before putting it down.

"You've seen to it that everyone is in their rightful place, I assume?"

"Yes, sir," Crash nodded deeply. "They're all doing their jobs, all staying out of the forbidden wings, and all are doing nothing particularly disruptive. Honestly..." He sighed. "I find it unfortunate... I'm bored, sire."

"I see," Bowser smirked a bit, his mood lightening a little at his trusted Koopa's need for productive activity. If only the rest of his troops had such dedication... "Well, I'm certain there's someone somewhere _thinking_ about doing something. Like a certain Paratroopa, perhaps?"

At mentioning this, a sharp glint came to the king's eyes and he glared around the chamber. "Where's the defiant little idiot anyway?" Bowser muttered, realizing he hasn't had a conflict with that little miscreant for several days now. Turning back to his loyal servant, he finally growled out an order. "Crash, if you're so bored, then go off and find that miserable Paratroopa and bring him to me."

"Y... Yes, sir..." the Hammer Bro. muttered with a disheartened sigh before leaving the room. Great, now he's stuck on a goose hunt for a Koopa he couldn't have the slightest inkling of a care about. When he wanted Bowser to give him something to do, this wasn't what he had in mind! Oh, well, it's orders and better than nothing, he supposed...

Knowing who and where to go to for answers, he went to the lunchroom and with little hesitation, he wandered over to the table Kops and Rattles were settling at. Startling them by slamming a fist on their table, he glared at them with a snarl. "Where's that Paratroopa?"

The two lower-ranking Koopas looked at each other worriedly before Kops mustered his courage to glare back at the hostile Hammer Bro. "Why do you care?"

"I don't," Crash hissed, not at all liking the attitude of this Koopa Troopa that he already had a particular distaste for. A few minutes ago, he might've had the boredom-driven patience to try and turn this into a legit confrontation but with his new assignment, he's more than little frustrated and no longer in such a mood for games. "King Bowser sent me to find him, so tell me where he is!"

Rattles and Kops once more exchanged worried glances before Kops sighed, his words carrying a certain venom. "He's in his cell, where he has been for several days now, if you actually paid attention enough to notice."

Within an instant, Kops suddenly found himself with his throat locked in a deadly grip and he tried in vain to draw even a small wisp of air. Rattles felt the impulse to help, but he knew it would not be a wise move at all. And it's not like the Hammer Bro. can do anything drastic... Growling in Kops' face, Crash glared every ounce of hatred he felt and his words sent chills down the suffocating Koopa's spine. "Watch your beak, you piece of shit. Bowser's words might protect you from my more murderous impulses, but remember that even _I_ can't be blamed for an 'accident'."

His threat well-received, he released Kops and turned away, heading for that cell door where that Paratroopa oughta be. The gasping Koopa Troopa watched him leave, rubbing his throat as if to help reopen his airways. Casting a glance to Rattles, he managed to choke out his words, his voice a little raspy. "C'mon. Let's see King Koopa and make sure Pip's not in any trouble."

Rattles nodded and the two stood up and hurried out towards the throneroom, hoping nothing bad was intended for their little friend.

Meanwhile, Crash arrived at the cell in question and undid the lock, pushing it open and casting his glare about the dark prison. Catching sight of the Paratroopa, he saw him apparently asleep in his bed. Snorting with disdain, Crash walked straight for the Koopa with the intention of giving him the rudest awakening of his life when he felt his shoe step into something sticky. Pausing, he looked down to see that he stepped into a thick liquid of some kind. Kneeling down for a closer look, he dipped a finger in it and recognized its familiar feel, look, and scent.

Blood.

Eyes narrowing in confusion, he stood back up and stepped over to the Paratroopa. And at this close range, he could see the pale scales clear as day. In morbid curiosity, Crash's eyes scanned the body to see the blood still seeping from the kid's wing. Still bleeding meant the kid was still alive. To confirm that, Crash turned his attention to the face and he reached out to lift the beak up, only to let it drop limp again. This produced a soft moan from the dying Koopa and the eyelid quivered a bit as if struggling to open without success.

And extremely light breaths were still being drawn.

Smirking softly, Crash nonchalantly turned away from the body and walked out at a leisurely pace, back towards the throneroom to share the news. And by the time he arrived, Kops and Rattles were already there and King Bowser immediately turned his attention to him, taking note of one thing.

"Where's the Paratroopa?" he questioned. Flashing a malicious grin at the two lower-ranked Koopas present, Crash answered his king with a certain air of sadism.

"In his cell, slowly bleeding to death."

At this, the eyes of Bowser and the two other Koopas widen in disbelief. The latter Koopas especially; they kept Pip locked up to keep him safe and now... Kops glared at the Hammer Bro., certain that he had something to do with this! "What did you do?!" Surely, Crash had attacked the poor kid. Maybe Pip finally got his spunk back and Crash had beaten him back into submission, only this time, he must've went too far. Alright, it meant that he had to disobey Bowser's direct orders and that was out of sorts for Crash to do, but still, maybe-

"My hands are clean in this, for once!" Crash snarled at him, emphasizing how there wasn't a drop to suggest otherwise. There was a few red smudges on his fingers, but he was usually covered in blood by the time he finished attacking someone. Tearing his glare away from the defiant Koopa Troopa, he turned back to Bowser. "It had something to do with his wings, sir. One of them is bleeding profusely and the Paratroopa's already unconscious."

Kops and Rattles looked to each other. His wings? How is his wings bleeding enough to bring him so close to death? They cursed themselves for not enough enough on Paratroopas to come up with an answer and looking up at Bowser, they wondered his next course of action. The king gave a soft growl, not liking the concept of one of his Koopas dying without him being the cause. Yes, he hated Pip, but he wasn't going to let all his hard work go to waste like this. As such...

"Get the Shy Guys immediately and meet me at that goddamn Paratroopa's cell..."

* * *

><p>Hurry, Shy Guys! There's not much time left! Am I really evil enough to end this story with a tragedy? Yes. But will I do it? Maybe. Find out in the next chapter, which will hopefully come out faster than this one did! :p<p> 


	19. Saved?

Disclaimer: I don't own the Mario franchise or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

Sorry for taking so long. Like Pip, I've been having major bouts of depression and it's been affecting both my real life and my internet life. But one thing I hadn't forgotten was this story and although it's difficult, I've decided that if there's anything I want in the world right now is to at least finish this story. No I haven't given up on it and I have no intention of ever giving up on it. So, at long last, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 18<em>

Darkness. He's been staring at nothing but darkness for a very long time. He didn't know what kind of limbo this was, but he felt content here. There was an incredible, lighter-than-air feeling that had soaked his body from head to toe and he almost felt like he was flying, but without the heavy burden on his wings. Perhaps this was more akin to a Lakitu floating about blissfully on a cloud. Either way, it felt like flight, like freedom, and it was something he's been longing for quite some time now. He didn't want it to go away, ever.

Was this Death? The afterlife? He wasn't sure, but he didn't care. This was a peaceful place, especially so after the hell he's had to go through. Finally, nothing to threaten him, no more stress, no more anything, but pure content.

But if there's anything he's learned, it was that good things never last and a sharp pain greeted his right arm beneath the elbow. He tried to cry out, but his voice wouldn't work here. The unexpected pain was short thankfully, and faded as distant voices began muttering incoherently in his ears. All around him the voices seem to come from and he tried to turn his head to listen closer and find the source, but he couldn't move here either.

Finally, a faint white light glowed in the distance ahead of him, growing slowly in intensity until it seemed to overcome him. Was this the infamous Light one saw at Death?

_"He's sta... wake..."_

_"Than... ness..."_

The voices were still there, growing clearer alongside the light and he recognized the voice. Kops? What's he doing here? The confusion finally broke through and the light faded to manageable level and he could see what looks like a ceiling.

"Hey, kid," a dark silhouette appeared in his line of sight, looking down at him. "We almost lost you there."

Blinking, Pip's vision finally sharpened to see Kops' worried face watching over him. The Koopa Troopa was accompanied by Tipo and Rattles, both on either side of him and the Paratroopa took a long moment to understand where he was. A hospital room. He was still alive...

"Pip," Kops piped up gently, placing a hand on the child's shoulder. "Hey, how're you feeling?"

Pip didn't say anything in response, still looking quite dazed and bleary as one would expect after his near death experience. Doesn't help that the Shy Guys has given him drugs to keep him from getting nauseated from the loss of blood and to keep him in a calm mood. The latter especially proved to be a good thing as the Paratroopa slowly turned his head towards his right arm, where the pain had originated during his half-conscious state. An IV was inserted into his scales and if he cared to notice, Tipo stiffened upon the Paratroopa's discovery of the needle.

Just as the Shy Guy was getting ready to dash out the room to grab the tranquilizer gun, he froze upon realizing that Pip showed not the slightest bit of fear. No, his eyes was still as dull as it has been since the wing clipping...

"Pip," Kops started once more, giving the little guy's shoulder a soft shake in the hopes of getting his attention. But it proved useless as Pip turned his eyes not to him, but to Rattles instead. The Dry Bones offered a kind smile, but Pip didn't make any effort to return it. He just stared at the bundle of bones like nothing else existed. Glancing at Kops, Rattles shrugged a bit at this reaction before they both look to Tipo.

"He's probably experiencing some side-effect of the drugs we gave him," Tipo said with a faint hint of uncertainty. "I wouldn't expect him to act himself for a while."

"He hasn't acted like himself at all lately, so..." Kops trailed off a bit, his eyes migrating to Pip's wing. Although the bleeding has been stopped with a few simple plucks of the offending feathers, it was still strained with quite a bit of red. "I'm just relieved he'll make a full recovery thanks to you, King Bowser, and, begrudgingly, Crash." He reached out to gently shift through the child's feathers, searching to the empty spot that once housed the bleeding stubs. Pip made no reaction to this examination and just persisted in staring at Rattles as if not hearing their conversation even as it continued. "Can't believe he tried to pull this off. Unfortunately, the one time he shows any bit of cleverness is when he's trying to kill himself." The Koopa Troopa looked back at Tipo. "It's probably the best idea to keep him here under close supervision until his flight feathers grow back. We don't want another incident like this again."

"That's alright, he can stay as long as he needs to," the Shy Guy chirped. "Just make sure you get permission from Bowser first."

"We need to report back to him anyway," Kops agreed, standing from his chair. Looking to Rattles, he gave a gesture that it's time to go. "C'mon. Hopefully, King Koopa will approve keeping the kid here, or will at least give us some rope if he doesn't. Tying the kid up doesn't sound half bad at this point..."

The Dry Bones nodded softly, still uneasy at how Pip was still staring at him. Standing up alongside his friend, he gave a wave goodbye to the little Paratroopa as they left, Pip not returning the gesture as his eyes remained focused on the skeleton until the door closed behind them.

Despite what everyone seemed to think, he was fully aware of his surroundings and of their conversation. If Kops thought his suicide attempts were finished, he'll have another thing coming. For there was a reason the little Paratroopa had such intent on Rattles, as an idea had begun forming in his head. He had one last ace up his sleeve, and now that he was out of his cell, he could take the chance execute it...

Still looking dazed, he paid no attention to Tipo's activities around him, the Shy Guy taking notes and fiddling with Pip's IV a bit. Looking over to the kid, the black-garbed doctor helpfully fluffed the child's pillow and pulled the blanket tighter around the little guy.

"You really should rest up, Pip," Tipo stated, his chipper voice hoping to lift the kid's spirits to no avail. "You're stable, but I'd rather stay on the safe side, you know?" He nudges the Paratroopa's shoulder. "Or should I go get that tranq gun?" His attempt at humor didn't seem to work as the child turned away from him and closed his eyes.

Sighing a bit, Tipo gathered his papers and headed for the exit. Casting one last glance at the turtle, he turned out the light and closed the door...

And less than 15 minutes later, Pip's eyes opened once more and focused immediately on the window by his bed...

* * *

><p>"Kops, how nice to see you," King Koopa growled in an almost mocking tone as the Koopa Troopa and his Dry Bones companion let themselves into the throne room. Bowing their heads respectfully, Kops led the way to the foot of the throne, trying his best to ignore Crash's sneering expression glowering down at them.<p>

"Sir, I'm here to report that Pip should be making a full recovery," the Koopa Troopa shared the good news, Rattles nodding in confirmation beside him. At once, the tyrant seemed pleased to hear this, his sharp fangs flashing from the toothy grin growing on his snout.

"Excellent news," the massive monster snickered, his thick tail thumping a bit against the seat of his throne. "I'd hate for that little brat to perish before I get through with him." His red eyes flashed as he fixed them on the little Koopa Troopa before him. "Any word on _how_ this happened?"

Kops hesitated for a second, knowing it wouldn't be wise to tell the King that it was a suicide attempt as that's just as bad as an escape attempt in his eyes. If he knew, who knows what'll happen... "It's believed to have been an accident, sir. The Shy Guys think that a few of his blood feathers snapped when he shifted his wings and since he was locked in the cell, he couldn't get help when he began bleeding out."

He didn't like lying to his king like this, and it took everything he had to keep from breaking eye contact lest he be called out on that lie. Luckily, Bowser only grunted and glanced at Crash standing beside him. The Hammer Bro. didn't look quite as pleased as his king about the child surviving the ordeal, but the elite assassin kept his tongue quiet even as Kops continued.

"The Shy Guys agreed that it would be best to keep him in the Medical Wing until his flight feathers grow back," Kops went on with his report. "If he has another accident like that again, at least he'll have help right around the corner. We'd like your permission for this, sire."

Bowser didn't respond to this for a moment, thinking to himself a bit before snorting. "Permission granted. It would certainly be nice to not have to hear anything about that idiotic cretin getting into trouble for a little bit longer."

"Yes, sir," Kops couldn't help but smile at having his idea approved. "Thank you, sir." He seemed about to add something else before hesitating. "Er, sir... may I _very_ respectfully make a request of you?" Bowser made a short huffing sound at this but he waved a claw for the smaller turtle to continue. "Pip's been having... trouble adjusting. I wanted to schedule an appointment with the Lakitus, but they aren't available to help us in the timely manner we're hoping for. I was wondering if, possibly, you can pull some strings for us... if it's not too much to ask, sire." he hastily added the last bit with a deeper bow of his head.

"Trouble, huh?" Bowser hissed. "What troubles are we talking here?"

"Well, sir," Kops started, his mind working to avoid some details that might result in a bad situation. "He's been having rather... disturbing thoughts about this whole thing. I'm getting very worried about him and his safety and I feel getting him checked out on a psychological level will do good in... melding him into our fold easier, before things get worse."

"Very well," the king agreed after a brief moment. "I'll have Crash take care of it."

"What?!" Both Crash and Kops exclaimed at the same time and it was clear Rattles would've done the same thing if he was more vocal. Bowser smirked, amused at the reaction, before looking to the confused Hammer Bro. who obviously wanted nothing to do with this.

"Crash, go to the Therapy Wing and... 'convince' one of the Lakitus to make room in the schedule."

Quickly understanding the implications, Crash's disbelief gave way to a dark smile and he bowed his head before heading off to do his work. Finally, something of actual, meaningful substance to do...

"Um, sire...?" Kops began, as both he and Rattles were understandably not so thrilled by their king's method of carrying out the request, but when Bowser shot a sharp glance in their direction, Kops quickly remembered his place and immediately shuts his beak. He tried to reassure himself that his king gave no permission to kill and he hoped the derange Hammer Bro. won't do too much damage...

"Anyway," the behemoth carried on. "Unless you have anything else you'd like to share, both of you are dismissed."

"Actually, sir, I'd like to make one more request..." Kops pushed his luck a bit more, given how his king has been lenient so far. The massive dragon did roll his eyes a bit in irritation at this, but he's in a pleasant enough mood to give his trusted soldier the time of day and he again waved his claw to get him talking. "Sire, I'd like to ask if it'll be okay for me to stay out passed curfew with Rattles." Kops glanced at the Dry Bones before continuing. "I don't want to leave Pip any longer than I need to and I want to be in the know for the entire time Pip's in the hospital."

"And you don't trust Rattles with this task?" Bowser inquired and Kops immediately shook his head.

"No, no, it's not that, sir. I have absolute faith in Rattles caring for Pip. But it is _my_ job, sire, and I take it very seriously. Especially given what's been happening as of late, I think two sets of eyes watching over him is better than one."_  
><em>

"Well-stated," Bowser acknowledged, before considering the request for a few minutes. Finally, he gave a nod before glaring quite sternly at the Koopa Troopa in front of him. "I'll grant that for you, Kops, given how loyal a worker you've been proving to be. But keep in mind that this is only temporary and on the chance that you're caught lollygagging around after-hours instead of performing your duty, that incident you had with Crash a few weeks ago will be but a small taste of what will be in store for you. Understand me?"

"Yes, sir!" Kops wasted not a second in bowing his head respectfully, wanting there to be no doubt that he can be trusted not to abuse the privilege. Dismissed without another word, both Kops and Rattles made their way out the throne room towards the Medical Wing with haste. Both were relieved that the meeting went very well and the king was willing to be flexible with their ideas. Now they just had to share the news with the Shy Guys and of course, Pip.

Opening the doorway into the hospital, they waved to the receptionist as they hurried to the room Pip was in. But when they opened the door, their jaws dropped at the same time.

Pip was gone...

* * *

><p>These passages were very familiar and if Pip had felt even the slightest bit like himself, he would've felt the chill of fear course through his body. But he wasn't himself, his depressed state made all the worse by lingering effects of the drugs still coursing through his system. It wasn't too difficult slipping away from his room, climbing out the window and moving to the closest door. After that, he blended in quite well and none of the few Koopas he passed suspected him of being a run-away. Hopefully, his luck will remain strong until he reached his destination.<p>

Despite having been quite a while since he's last been through these halls, he navigated them with purpose until he arrived in a very familiar dome-shaped room. The Bone Room. Unlike last time, however, it was filled with Boos and Dry Bones, each socializing and having a great time. But he disregarded them and the fun they were having as his dazed eyes fixed on a single door that beckoned to him like a moth to a flame, and he made a bee-line for it. He stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the crowd and got quite a few curious glances, but he ignored them as they didn't matter.

Only when he reached for the handle of the door did one of the undead inhabitants speak up in concern. "What're you doing?"

It was a Dry Bones, with the same rough and gravelly voice shared by the rest of his kind. Pip didn't move or respond for a moment, feeling the inquisitive stares of those around him, but still not caring. When he finally spoke, his voice was as soft and broken as before.

"I'm looking for someone…Named Hollow…"

He heard some surprised mutterings and this time, it was a Boo that spoke up. "You don't wanna meet up with him, kid, trust us."

"I know all about him, trust _me_," Pip responded with an actual inflection in his voice, turning to meet his audience. "But I need to find him… It's very important…"

The dead Koopas and ghosts looked to each other uncertainly before another Dry Bones stepped forward. "He's in the library. If you want, I can show you where it is."

Pip merely nodded, returning his dull gaze to the floor even as he followed his new guide through the parting crowd. Throughout the journey, Pip could feel his companion watching him and soon the silence was broken when the skeleton piped up.

"If you know all about Hollow, then you would know how dangerous it is for you to seek him out."

Again Pip gave a single nod of acknowledgement. "I know. I have some business to discuss with him…" Sensing the suspicious look he was getting, he added two words that could quite literally let him get away with murder. "Bowser's orders."

Although the Dry Bones said nothing in response to that, his suspicion did heighten a bit. Surely, King Koopa would know better than to send a _living_ Koopa to get this so-called 'business' done. There was more to this and maybe he should find out what…

"You're the new recruit everyone's been talking about, aren't you?" He only received a listless nod, the child obviously not willing to conversate about the matter. "So you finally gave up, huh?" he added, purposely keeping his words vague to see how the Paratroopa would respond. But he only got an equally-vague mutter in said response.

"In more ways than you know." And the way Pip said it suggested that he held no intention of sharing more, lest he risks another failure. He's gotten this far and he couldn't afford to lose the chance now.

"Just be careful, kid. Keep your distance from him, alright?" the Dry Bones stated with genuine concern as they stopped at the library door. "I'd hate to play a part in a tragedy."

At hearing the tone of that last part, Pip looked to his guide, who stared right back. The Dry Bones seemed to know more of what's happening than he was letting on and Pip vaguely wondered if it was some unknown deathly sixth sense. Eh, who cares? Not like the walking mass of bones was doing anything to stop him. So, giving a slight nod of thanks, Pip pushed the door open and stepped inside, leaving his guide behind.

The library didn't seem too busy a place at this time, which suited Pip just fine. The less interference, the better. Now where was that so-called Demon Bones? Glancing down each aisle as he walked past, it took about ten minutes before he finally spotted his target, his last hope to escape this torture, in a section normally reserved for Magikoopas.

Making a beeline for the undead creature, he wasn't really noticed at first as Hollow had his nose buried in what looked like a spell book. But he soon caught sight of the Paratroopa approaching him and glared, closing the book with a growl. "Back to mock me, I see." he hissed in a snappy tone.

Pip shook his head as he paused across the table Hollow was sitting at. Not wanting to stall his fate any more than necessary, he looked the deranged Koopa straight in his glowing red eyes. "Are you still interested?"

Narrowing his eyes even more, Hollow gave a snarling response. "What're you talking about, fleshie?"

"You wanted my life," Pip stated in as good a matter-of-factly tone as he was willing to provide. "Are you still interested in taking it?"

At this, the snarls slowly died down as the scarred Dry Bones took on a suspicious frame of mind. Just what was this kid's game? You don't just walk up to someone and ask them to kill you. "And what if I am? To what significance is that to you?"

Pip shrugged carelessly. "I'm offering it. That's all it is."

"And I'm to assume that this isn't a trick? That your friends aren't going to interfere like last time?"

"My _friends_," –Pip spat out the word in a surprisingly hostile tone- "don't even know I'm here. As far as they're concerned, I'm still asleep in a hospital bed…"

Hollow then made a noise that would probably go well with a huff if he still had lungs to expel such an exhalation. Casting his glare to look over the Paratroopa carefully, he finally asked the question that was keeping him from fully accepting this so-called 'offer'. "Why?"

For a moment, Pip said nothing and when he finally did answer, it was in a desperate whisper. "I have to get out of here. I can't take it anymore…"

"And so, with all your little attempts to escape ending in complete failure, you now think death is your only way out," Hollow snickered maliciously. "And out of all the methods you could've chosen, it had to be me?"

"Well, nothing else worked," Pip continued sadly, fighting the tears threatening to escape his eyes as he lowered his gaze to the floor. "I tried jumping off the castle. Tried to bleed myself out," –his blood-stained wing twitched with emphasis- "Bowser would never do it, and although I'm sure Crash would love to, he won't without Bowser's okay…"

_Though even if he did disregard that fact, he might prefer you suffer instead…_ the thought slipped through his mind, but he made no effort to voice it so as not to give the skeleton any ideas. Instead he returned his attention to Hollow, his expression pleading. "You're the only one I know who's both ready and willing to take it. I know you couldn't care less about the trials of the living, but _please_, Hollow," he quite literally begged, almost to point where he went down on his knees. "You're my last hope…"

Silence as the Dry Bones considered the child's words as well as the entire situation. He found this whole thing pretty fascinating, and it was only his natural suspicion that held him back. But the kid certainly sounded genuine and was certainly determined to end it all if that bloody wing was anything to go by. Maybe… "Very well. We'll get this done in my tunnels, where it'll be out of the way with little chance of interference. But..." His glare returned as he stood from the table. "If this turns out to be just a trick…"

"It's no trick," Pip muttered in reassurance before giving his first genuine smile since the wing-clipping. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>Felt good to be back in the writer's seat. I dunno if anyone's still interested in reading this after such a long absence, but if you made it this far, thanks for the support. I'll try my best to push through my depressive state to get working on the next chapter.<p> 


	20. Rescue

Disclaimer: I don't own the Mario franchise or any of its characters. Impacto belongs to deviantart's Mloun, I'm just borrowing him (with permission, mind!).

I can't be sure as I haven't been keeping track of time, but I think this one was a slightly faster update than the last one. I really do apaologize and I'm happy to see my readers being so patient and supportive. Thank you guys for being so supportive of not only this story, but of my depression. It really does help knowing there's people out there that cares.

Again, thank you all for your support! :)

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><p><em>Chapter 19<em>

"TIIIIIIIIPOOOOOOOOOO!"

The loud roar echoed throughout the halls of the castle, originating from the Medical Wing. One would think that Bowser's the source, but not this time. No, it was actually Kops! The Koopa Troopa was obviously pissed, as evidence from the growls coming from his beak, Rattles cringing anxiously beside him as the noise was quite unlike his companion's usual behavior. And it didn't get any better as Kops took another deep breath, the Dry Bones beside him bracing himself.

"GODDAMNIT, TIPO, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE! **TIIIIIIPOOOOOO**!"

"What?!" Said Shy Guy answered in confusion as he hurried around the corner over to the outraged Koopa Troopa. Upon seeing the black-garbed doctor, Kops glared with unparalleled scorn before carrying on with whatever calm he had left, which wasn't much at all.

"I thought you were going to keep an eye on Pip while we were gone!"

"I am!" Tipo piped defensively, not understanding why the Koopa was yelling at him with such hostility.

"Really?" Kops growled before he stepped back from the door and gestured for the Shy Guy to look inside. Tipo did with little hesitation, only to see the rummaged bed completely vacant. If it was possible, his mask would've paled, although it did display an embarrassed expression.

"Oh." he muttered.

"Yeah." Kops replied sharply.

"Oh."

"Exactly."

"Oh."

"Hang your head in shame, Tipo."

"Yes, sir..." And indeed, Tipo slumped, thoroughly disappointed with himself as Kops looked to Rattles.

"I can't believe that kid! We turn our backs for two seconds and he disappears on us! And you know what the sad thing is: he does this ALL THE TIME! Every time without fail! And you wanna know what's even sadder? I let him! Why do I let him?!" he vented to the skeleton before he did a double facepalm, hard enough that it'll probably leave a mark. He was grumbling incoherently under his breath and it was only when Rattles chittered in concern did the living Koopa speak up.

"This kid is gonna be the end of me, I swear..." He gave out a deep, growling breath as he rubbed his temples for a moment. "Alright, come on. He couldn't have gotten too far." He turned to Tipo, his face still carrying some disapproval. "He would still be feeling dazed from the drugs, right?"

Tipo nods, albeit very softly. "Most likely. Although the effects should be starting to fade by now if they haven't already..."

No sooner had he mentioned that than the two Koopas dashed out of the Medical Wing. Sticking close, Kops and Rattles strategically searched through the corridors in an outward spiral formation, moving farther and farther away from the hospital. They made sure no hallway went uninspected, no pebble went unturned, no dust particle went undisturbed. And still there was no sign of their young Paratroopa friend.

"Pip! Pip!" Kops began shouting, his voice echoing through the halls alongside Rattles' frantic chitters. They of course received no response and they widened their search even more, straying deeper into the castle. Speeding their strides as they grew more desperate, they were flat out running when they rounded a corner and Kops felt himself crash into someone.

It was a Dry Bones. Luckily, the impact of the collision wasn't strong enough to scatter the undead creature to pieces and he merely stumbled before regaining balance.

"Sorry," Kops apologized hurriedly, making a move to rush passed the skeleton when the Dry Bones stepped in front of him to stop him. The Koopa Troopa was about to impatiently push him aside when he spoke up.

"Wait! You're the one that watches over the newcomer Paratroopa, right?"

At once, Kops froze and glanced back at Rattles before looking back to the Dry Bones. "You know where he is?" His heart rose with pure relief when the skeleton nodded, although his heart quickly sank again when he got an answer he didn't want to hear.

"He was looking for Hollow," he told the duo. "Said it was Bowser's order, but I still felt the need to find you ju-"

"Shit!" Kops interrupted. Overrun with protective instincts that bordered on parental fear, the Koopa Troopa practically jumped over the Dry Bones and took off towards the Bone Room as fast as he could, almost slamming into a wall as he slid out of sight beyond a corner. Rattles was just as panicked, but took the time to nod to his fellow Dry Bones as thanks before dashing after his living counterpart.

They just hoped they weren't too late...

* * *

><p>These tunnels seemed darker than he remembered it, or maybe it was just his gloomy mind influencing his perception. Following Hollow closely, Pip felt a mixture of grim satisfaction as well as a persistent stab of fear. After all, he hasn't forgotten what happened last time he was here and although it was of his own free will this time, it was still terrifying. Every single instinct of self-preservation kept yelling at him to back out of this plan, but as usual, he did his best to ignore them. He remembered people always telling him that suicide was a coward's way out…<p>

Well, whoever said that didn't know what they were talking about. The fear of death is probably the strongest one there is, and to override that takes true bravery in his opinion. With all his attempts came the exhaustive effort of not only squandering his terror, but not showing it as well. This was no exception, especially if Hollow will choose the same method of execution as last time, making the Paratroopa's end anything but quick and painless.

The entire journey has been silent between them, making the living Koopa's inner unease grow. Hollow hadn't given him so much as a glance since their conversation, and obviously had no interest in starting small talk. The demon had a peculiar way of walking, the Paratroopa noted. Instead of staying upright like everyone else, the skeleton would alternate back and forth between a bipedal stance and a four-legged walk. A small spark of curiosity peeked through his depression and he tried to ignore it. But disregarding it only made the feeling stronger and the youngster spoke up in a quiet voice.

"Why do you walk like that...?"

He wasn't expecting an answer and for a short while, Hollow met his expectations before finally giving him a split second glance over his shoulder. "Habit." That was all Hollow said and Pip wasn't sure what he meant before assuming the skeleton was referring to the old fashion way Koopas moved around. It made sense, especially since the biped posture was relatively recent in his parent's generation and the 500 year old Dry Bones must still be getting accustomed to the change. It was interesting, if just for a moment...

Pip glanced around the dark tunnel, wondering how far down they're going and wondering if they'll eventually reach the end. The stories Kops told him echoed through his head, about this being the way to the Underworld and he fiddled with his hands anxiously.

"Um, Hollow...?" he whispered. "How much further...?"

The Dry Bones didn't answer him at all. And he didn't have to. Upon reaching the figurative and literal point-of-no-return, Hollow turned to the young Koopa with a smirk on his face and a dark purr from his rotted throat. A responding wing twitch was the only sign of Pip's unease, but he pushed that feeling aside as he muttered under his breath.

"Please, m-make it quick…" His voice shook a little in a combination of fear and of the tears that started to run down his face.

"I make no promises." Hollow hissed in amusement, his gloved hands clenching and unclenching in obvious eagerness. Pip didn't even get a chance to respond to that before that chilling iron grip close around his throat. Squeezing his eyes tightly shut, he forced himself not to struggle from the uncomfortable hold, even as he felt himself being pushed against the wall, no doubt to keep him from backing out should he change his mind.

It didn't take long at all before the ever growing pain exploded from his chest and strangled squeaks emerged from his throat. And still he did not struggle, trying to keep his mind calm and focused. He could hear Hollow muttering what sounded like incantations, but he could understand none of it. He could feel his body fighting with his will to gain independent control. It took everything the young Paratroopa had not to relinquish that control.

But everything was interrupted when a voice echoed through the tunnels. "Pip…Pip…"

It was Kops. Hollow glared in the direction of the voice; why wasn't he surprised that this was going to happen? Returning his hostile attention to his victim, he snarled out his words in a whisper. "I knew this was a trick."

At this, Pip opened his eyes with a shake of his head, grabbing hold of Hollow's wrists as a gesture to finish it and to also keep him from going after Kops. The Dry Bones hissed with indecision, unsure whether to continue or to get rid of the intruder. On one hand, he couldn't allow a nosy Koopa wandering around his tunnels. On the other, he had a life free for the taking and he had to take advantage while he can. Making a compromise with himself, he decided to end this quickly and hope he said enough of the incantation for this to work. With a savage growl, he released the Paratroopa's throat only to clamp down on it with his beak.

Pip grimaced in even more pain, feeling the sharp edges and the teeth-like projections sink through his scales and skin. Blood was starting to seep through and Pip could feel his wind-pipe beginning to crush under the pressure. The extra pain causing him to lose what control he had, he felt himself struggle relentlessly. Luckily, Hollow had a good grip and he kept increasing the jaw pressure at a steady pace. Out of the corner of his empty eyes, the demon saw the intruding Koopa Troopa appear and he instinctively released his bite from his victim to confront the invader.

Kops froze as Hollow opened his blood-rimmed beak menacingly with a quite demonic-sounding shriek, but seeing his friend unmoving on the ground, he pushed passed the intimidation to charge at the demented undead creature. Tackling him to the ground, he was dismayed to see that he didn't hit hard enough to crumble him into pieces and the skeleton threw him off before pouncing, landing on bare ground as Kops quickly rolled out of the way. Jumping to his feet, he tried again to reduce his opponent to a pile of useless bones, withdrawing into his shell during the charge only to have Hollow leap clean over him.

The Dry Bones quickly took advantage as soon as the other Koopa shot back out of his shell. Before Kops could orientate himself, Hollow lunged and sank his beak mercilessly into the nape of the intruder. Kops cried out as he struggled in panic. He knew the strength of a Koopa's bite and a hold like this had the potential to snap his neck. Growling, he pulled and tugged as he tried to get free, succeeding eventually but not without receiving a few bloody tears.

Wincing heavily as he collapsed to his knees, he could feel blood trickle down his scales and he glared defiantly as Hollow began to snicker, the sticky red liquid dripping from his maw. "Give up, fleshie. Against the dead, you cannot win."

"Well, then," Kops started with a pained smirk. "It's a good thing I brought someone who can."

Before anyone could respond, Rattles pounced on Hollow from behind, the normally peaceful Dry Bones hissing in his own threat as the two rolled about the ground. Whilst the enemy was distracted, Kops timed his charge carefully and gathered all his strength, launching himself at the bundle of bones and smashing into Hollow, finally reducing him into a pile.

Knowing that time was precious, Kops and Rattles hurried over to the seemingly unconscious Pip and started dragging him towards safety. But they weren't even half-way to the exit before Pip jolted awake with a gasp and, much to their surprise, began to struggle.

"No! Let me go!" the Paratroopa screeched, his voice raspy from his experience.

"Calm down, Pip! It's us!" Kops began to reassure, but to even more of their surprise, the young Koopa growled.

"I know it's you! Let me go!" Immediately, Rattles released him, but Kops held stubbornly.

"What're you doing, kid?! We have to get outta here!"

"No!" Pip argued back, struggling even harder despite his body's weakness. "Leave me here, damn it! I _want_ him to kill me!"

"No, you don't!" Kops growled back firmly, trying to hold Pip down, glancing at Rattles in a silent plea for help. The Dry Bones nodded before helping hold his distressed companion down as Kops continued. "Listen to me, Pip! We'r-"

Pip immediately interrupted him. "Let me go!" Then came his friends' greatest surprise yet when Pip managed to bite Kops' hand and tried to pull away from Rattles when the Koopa Troopa jumped back with a yelp. "Hollow! Help!"

"That's enough!" Kops screamed, tackling the Paratroopa down and keeping his head pinned. Pip struggled a bit more before eventually falling still with a whimper.

"Let me go… Why won't you let me go…? Why won't you let me die…?" He sniffled as he broke down completely. "Why won't you let me be happy…?"

At this, Kops looked over at Rattles to see the silent mute looking very distressed at the whole thing. Turning back to Pip, his expression and voice softened. "We do want you to be happy, but this isn't the way." He shook his head sympathetically. "Despite what you might think, we're your friends and we only wanna help you."

"Yeah right!" Pip snapped, turning his teary anger-filled eyes to his restrainer. "If you wanted to help, if you guys were _really_ my friends, you would've helped me escape this hell-hole! You would've helped me find my family! You would've saved me when Bowser took my wings away! But you DIDN'T!"

At once, Kops became angry as well and he couldn't help but snap back. "Of course we didn't! Like we were going to interfere with the orders of a multi-ton, fire-breathing monster just to save feathers that are just going to grow right back!"

Silence as the two glared heatedly at each other before Kops continued. "You think you're going to find happiness this way?! Huh!? You think death is going to solve all your problems? It won't! Keep in mind that our two species are VERY closely related."

"So?!" Pip hissed.

"_So_," Kops hissed back. "who's to say you can't be brought right back? Who knows, maybe you're close enough to my kind to become a Dry Bones. And then what're you going to do?! If you think your life is so miserable now, imagine what it'll be like as the undead! You think Rattles is happy with his existence?! You think Hollow is?!" He didn't give Pip enough time to answer as he went on. "You act as though you're the only one to have ever gone through this! Well, you're not! Do you think I wanted to give up too when I was first brought here?! Huh?!"

Another moment of silence came, Kops reprimanding glare never softening. "I was kidnapped too when I was around your age, kid. And you know what, I fought through all the adversity, all the feelings of despair I had. I've been through just about everything and guess what: I made the wise choice to just accept that this is what fate wanted for me and I don't regret making that decision."

Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Kops continued. "Think about what you're doing, kid. Rattles and I are just trying to help you, but if you insist on pushing us away, then fine. Make your choice: Either do what I did and accept things the way they are, accept the fact that this is your new home and try to make the best of it. Or you can go back to Hollow because I'm _sure_ he'll offer a quick way out of it all after what just happened." He said the last part sarcastically as he finally released the Paratroopa, who just remained limp for a long time.

Just as Kops was about to give up on him and turn away, Pip began to sob quietly. "I…I'm sorry. I…I…"

"It's alright, kid." Kops muttered as he and Rattles got the child to his feet and began leading him out without a fuss this time. "Let's get you back to the hospital, make sure Hollow didn't damage us too badly. We already have arrangements to make an appointment with the Lakitus. Both Rattles and I will keep an eye on you until then."

Pip nodded softly, more than eager to put everything behind him as they left the tunnels for hopefully the last time.

* * *

><p>That was way too close, but thankfully, Kops and Rattles seemed to have finally talked some sense into our little Paratroopa. We got some additional information about Hollow and even a little more about Kops' past! Stay tuned and stay patient for the next arc of this story and please review in the meantime! Thank you!<p> 


End file.
